
Oass_J 



Book -J-^ 



PINNOCK'S SCHOOL SEKIE8. 



HISTORY OF r RANGE 



NOEMANDY, 



FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE YEAR 1884. 

WITH 
QUESTIONS rOR EXAMINATION AT THE END OP EACH SECTION. 
/ BY 

w. c.'tayloe, ll.d., 

iOTBOR OF " MANUAL OF ANCIENT AND MODERN HISTORY," ETC., AND EDITOR OF PINITOOK'fl 
DfPBOVED EDIIIONa OF goldsmith's GREECE, ROME, AND ENGLANO 




REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION. 



//I') V' *^ 



PHILADELPHIA: 

CHARLES DE SILVER & SONS, 

PUBLISHERS. 



-6^ 



Copyright. 

CHARLES DE SILVER & SONS. 

1884. 



PBKS3 OF SHEKMAN & CO. 



PREFACE 

TO 

THE AMERICAN EDITION. 



The greatest nation of Europe at the present day, in point 
of industrial, scientific, and artistic development, is France, 
and her people, guided by the experience of past ages, are 
yet advaneifig steadily along the high road of social and 
moral improvement marked out for them by wise and patriotic 
men. From the period when Christianity first asserted its 
sway over the Gallic mind, France has powerfully promoted 
the advance of civilization, with all its attendant benefits, 
throughout the European continent ; and the histories of the 
difi"erent dynasties which have swayed the sceptre, are so 
many landmarks by which to trace the progress of this re- 
markable people from barbarism and poverty to civilization 
and wealth. 

The study of history is ever important to the proper edu- 
cation of the youthful mind, which, if wanting in a thorough 
understanding of the events of past time, can form no ade- 
quate idea of the present position of nations, or of the 
privileges and benefits enjoyed by the individual members 
thereof, as compared with preceding generations. But, 
apart from this consideration, the youth of our country 
shoula, and must, naturally feel a strong interest in the his- 
tory of a people, who so zealously and effectually aided our 

(iii) 



IV PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 

forefathers in their struggle for national independence. The 
names of La Fayette, D'Estaing, De Grasse, Eochambeau, 
and Armand, occupy a proud position in the details of our 
revolutionary contest; and well may the youthful American 
entertain sentiments of respect and esteem for a nation 
which produced such noble and self-sacrificing men. No 
better history than that of France can be put into the hands 
of the rising generation; for, by the proper exercise of their 
own reasoning powers, they can draw therefrom profitable 
lessons in political science. 

The accomplished Dr. Taylor has narrated all the events 
clearly and forcibly in their chronological order, and he has 
done ample justice to the great characters who have at vari- 
ous times played their parts on the stage of Grallic history. 
The task of the American editor has not been confined to 
mere emendations of the text; he has brought the work 
down to the present time by the addition of six chapters, 
which for interest cannot be surpassed by any others in the 
volume. These chapters include the Rebellions of February 
and June, 1848; the Else of Louis Napoleon; the Coup 
D'Etat; the inauguration of the Empire; the Crimean War; 
and the Italian War; all of which, as well as the preceding 
chapters, are copiously illustrated with historical pictures of 
battles and sieges, views of important places, portraits of dis- 
tinguished soldiers and civilians, and sketches of the costumes 
worn in diflferent ages. Each chapter is prefaced with an 
appropriate motto, and closed with questions for the exami- 
nation of pupils; and no pains have been spared to make 
the work as complete as the requirements of the present age 
demand in books adapted to the education of youth. 

Philadelphia, October 1, 1859. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAP. PAOI 

I. TheG^ 6 7 

IL The Fn iks, from Clovis to Charlemagi e 14 

III. The reign of Charlemagne 28 

IV. The Carlovingian race 35 

V Do. continued 43 

VI. Do. concluded 49 

VII. From the accession of Hugh Capet to the First Cru- 
sade 56 

VIII. The History of Normandy 63 

IX. The History of France from the First Crusade to 

the accession of Philip Augustus 72 

X. The reign of Philip Augustus 85 

XI. The reigns of Louis VIII. and IX 101 

XII. Do. of Philip the Hardy, and Philip the Fair 112 

XIII. Do. of Louis the Quarrelsome, Philip the 
Long, and Charles the Fair 122 

XIV. The reign of Philip of Valois 127 

XV. Do. continued — John 137 

XVI. John— the Regency 149 

XVII. Charles V., surnaraed the Wise 154 

XVm. Charles VI 161 

XIX. Charles VI.~Henry V. of England 17: 

XX. Charles VII., surnamed the Victorious 180 

XXL Louis XI 190 

XXII. Charles VIII. surnamed the Affable and Courteous. 200 

XXIIL Louis XII., surnamed the Father of his People. ... 208 

XXIV. Francis 1 214 

XXV. Do. continued 225 

XXVI. Henry IL— Francis II. 232 

XXVIL Charles IX 240 

1* (v) 



ri CONTENTS. 

CHAP. PAGB 

XXVIII. Henry III 252 

XXIX. Henry IV 266 

XXX. Louis XIII 276 

XXXL Louis XIV.— the Wars of the Fronde 290 

XXXII. Louis XIV. to the treaty of Ryswick 300 

XXXIII. Do. to the War of the Spanish succession 312 

XXXIV. Louis XV 321 

XXXV. Do. continued 330 

XXXVL Louis XVI 337 

XXXVII. Do. continued 348 

XXXVIII. The Republic 356 

XXXIX. The Empire 374 

XL. Do. continued 383 

XLL Do. Do 394 

XLIL The Hundred Days 400 

XLIII. The Restoration and Revolution of 1830 409 

XLIV. Louis Philippe L— Revolution of February, 1848, 419 
XLV. TheNationalAssembly— Rebellion of June, 1848, 438 

XLVI. The Rise of Louis Napoleon 455 

XLVn. The Coup D'Etat 467 

XLVIII. Louis Napoleon, Emperor — The Crimean War.. 474 
XLIX. The Italian War 489 

L. Peace Concluded — Annexation of New Territories 497 
LI. Alliance with Spain and England and the War in 

Mexico — Occupation of Vera Cruz 501 

LIT. The Franco-Prussian War 510 

LIU. Dethronement of Napoleon — Establishment of the 

Republic 520 

LIV. The National Assembly at Versailles, and the Com- 
mune at Paris 530 

LV. France under the Presidency of Marshal McMahon 

—The Septenate 539 

LVL The Presidency of Jules Gr6vy 545 

Genealogy of the Kings of France 554 

Chronological Index 562 



THE 



HISTORI OF FRANCE AND NORMANDY. 



CHAPTER I. 




An Ancient Gaul. 

THE GAULS. 

From Ister's icy stream a barbarous crowd 
In horrent furs, a herd promiscuous stood, 
Swift as their savage game, far wide they roam; 
In tribes and nations ignorant of home. 

EpieoxiAS. 

1. The difficulties that impede our inquiries into the origin 
of nations are so many, and so various, that we must, in most 
cases, be contented with probability, since the most laborious 

(7) 



8 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

researches fail to supply us with certain information. But as 
the Gauls were a conspicuous portion of that great Celtic 
family by which all the western continent of Europe and the 
British Isles were peopled, some brief sketch of their several 
migrations, as far as they have been ascertained, cannot fail 
to be interesting. The offspring of Japhet, we are told in 
Scripture, colonized "the isles of the Gentiles," as Europe is 
designated in the Old Testament ; of these the Cimmerians, 
or Cimbrians, who were descended from Gomer,* settled in 
the north and east of Europe, and gradually spread them- 




A Romanized Gaul. 



♦ The numerous descendants of Gomer are usually called the 
Celtic tribes ; but the names given to the Cushite warriors are as 
numerous as thejr conquests ; to them belong the Scythians, the Tar 
tars the Goths, the Scots, and almost all the tribes of wandering 
warriors who have at ditterent periods effected the greatest revolu 
lions in the Eastern and Western world. 



THE GAULS. 9 

selves westwards. 2. The descendants of Cush, known by 
the names of Scytliians and Tartars, have, from the earliest 
ages, been tlie greatest wanderers and the most warlike of na- 
tions. A horde of these barbarians attacked the Cimmerian 
colonies, expelled the inhabitants, and gave their own name 
to the country they had subdued. The Cimmerians, driven 
from their former settlements, fled through the extensive forests 
of Germany, and took up their residence in Gaul, of which 
they appear to have been the first inhabitants. 

3. The date of this migration is probably about the ninth 
or tenth century before the Christian era; for Homer men- 
tions the Cimmerians as the inhabitants of the countries bor- 
dering on the Don and Danube, but when Herodotus wrote, 
we find that they had been displaced by the Scythians. 4. 
The offspring of Cush, who delighted in a wandering life, 
spread themselves over ihe German forests, every where 
driving the Cimbri before them, until at length the Rhine 
formed the boundary between the two nations. In the time 
of Julius Caesar the distinctions between the two nations were 
strongly marked, and that great warrior and historian more 
than once declares that the Germans must have been a nation 
differing in origin from the Gauls. 5. The southern part of 
Gaul was frequently visited by the Phoenician, Carthagenian 
and Grecian merchants, for the purpose of commerce, but the 
most important event connected with this part of the 
country was the foundation of Marseilles by the Pho- J„f.' 
caeans, who introduced a spirit of commercial enterprise, 
and taught the inhabitants the arts of social life. 6. Although 
the Gauls did not make such extensive conquests as the de- 
scendants of Cush, they sent out several hordes at various 
timv s which spread ruin and devastation over the finest parts 
of Eu-ope. About the time of the first Cimbrian migration 
a body of these wanderers crossed the Alps and seized the Ita 
lian province, which, by a slight corruption of their 
name, was thence called Umbria. At a subsequent pe- -*„q* 
riod a new horde seized the north of Italy, and gave 
it the name of Cisalpine Gaul. The rich productions of Italy, 
and especially its wines, continued to attract fresh war- 
riors across the Alps, and Rome itself nearly fell a „q^' 
prey to these barbarians. Another equally numerous 
horde penetrated into Greece and laid siege to Delphi; they 
were driven from this with great slaughter, but their numbers 
being increased bv fresh recruits, they became formidable 



10 HISTGilY or FRANCE. 

enemies to the successors of Alexander, they engaged in de- 
structive civil wars. After a variety of adventures some of 
them settled in the north of Thrace, but the greater part, passing 
over the Hellespont, seized on a province of Asia Minor, 
which was thence called Gallatia or Gallo-Grsecia. 

7. The Gauls were always jealous of the people of Mar- 
seilles, whom they looked on as intruders, and the wars be- 
tween the native Celts and the Grecian colonists afforded the 
first pretence to the Romans for invading their country. 
They did not resign their liberties without a desperate re- 
sistance, and Caesar resided ten years in their country before 
he had completed their subjugation. 

8. The Gauls possessed all the characteristics of the Celtic 
race : they had a fair complexion, light hair, blue eyes, and 
loud voices ; their temper was lively and enthusiastic, but 
they were deficient in steadiness and perseverance. Their first 
attack in battle was almost irresistible, but if that was repelled, 
they did not sustain the fight with equal courage. They 
were ardent in their likings and dislikings, but so fickle as to 
pass from the extreme of affection to that of hatred on the 
most trivial grounds. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that 
a similar character is usually given to the modern French. 

9. The rivers of ancient Gaul frequently overflowed the 
country, and the marshes thus formed divided it into three 
great districts, Aquitain in the south, the territory of the 
Celts in the middle, and that of the Belgae on the north 
The inhabitants were divided into several tribes, each governed 
by their respective sovereign, and these were again subdivided 
into septs or clans, the head or chief of which possessed an 
almost absolute authority in his own domains. 10. These 
different communities were held together by a federal union 
similar to that of the Amphictyonic council in Greece, but 
there was no regular time appointed for holding the grand 
council ; it was only summoned on occasions of great emer- 
gency, and consequently frequently met too late to avert the 
evil against which it was summoned to provide. The govern- 
ment of the Celts appears to have been every where a complete 
aristocracy, differing from that established in the feudal limes 
by the absence of any gradations between absolute power and 
absolute slavery. 

11. But the most remarkable feature in all the Celtic na- 
tions is their order of ecclesiastical nobility called Druids. 
This class of men enjoyed the highest honours, and the 



THE GAULS. 



11 



greatest privileges; they had the supreme control overall re- 
ligious ceremonies, and appeal could be made to their tribunal 
in civil cases ; their persons were sacred, and they were ex- 
empted from all taxes and militarj service : in a word, they 
enjoyed so many immunities and distinctions, that princes 
were ambitious of being admitted into their societies. 13. 
They are divided into three classes, the Druids, properly so 
called, to whom the care of religion was entrusted; the 
Bards, who were the historical poets of the nation; and the 
Euvates, who were a kind of religious poets, that pretended 
to inspiration and delivered oracles. There were also female 
Druids, who were held in high respect, and frequently called 




Druids. 

to assist at the council of the nation. The British Druids 
were the most celebrated, and the candidates for the priest- 
hood were freauently sent from Gaul into Britain to complete 
their education. 13. The sun and fire were worshipped as 
the most forcible emblems of the Supreme Divinity; but 
they also adored the moon, and a host of inferior deities. 
The Druids exceeded all other heathens in the extravagant 
cruelty of their sacrifices; they not only offered up human 
victims singly, but on some occasions they formed a huge 
colossal figure of a man, from osier twigs, and having filled 
U with human beings, surrounded it with hay, and reduced 



12 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

it, with all the miserable creatures it contained, to ashes. Th« 
great object of their reverence was the deru^ or oak, from 
which their name is derived ; and the misletoe, a parasitical 
plant, sometimes found growing on the oak, was especially 
venerated; it w^as annually cut with great ceremony, and 
carefully preserved by the Arch-Druid, or chief of the priests. 

14. The learning of the Druids was confined, in a great 
degree, to a smattering of astronomy and anatomy : the for- 
mer they cultivated in consequence of their belief in the in- 
riuence of the stars, the latter they learned from the dissec- 
tion of their human victims; but they seem never to have 
derived any practical advantage from either study. Like the 
priests of Egypt and Persia, they are said to have had two 
systems of religious belief, one for the vulgar, and one for 
the initiated ; to the latter they taught the unity of the God- 
head, the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, and the 
worthlessness of many practices required from the vulgar. 
The doctrine of the Metempsychosis which Pythagoras pub- 
lished to the Greeks appears to have prevailed amongst the 
Druids from the remotest antiquity. 

15. The Druids were detested by the Romans because 
they stimulated the inhabitants to the most vigorous efforts 
for their independence ; when, therefore, Gaul became a Ro- 
man province, the Druids were discouraged and their num- 
bers diminished. Early in the second century, Christianity 
was introduced into the country, and spread over it with sur- 
prising rapidity. Many superstitious observances derived from 
the Druids prevailed, however, for several centuries after- 
wards. 10. It is worthy of remark, that the Celts were the 
most easily converted, and the most devotedly attached to the 
church of all the nations of antiquity. The Gothic nations, 
after their conversion, for the most part fell into the Arian 
heresy, but the Gauls were always zealously attached to the 
Catholic doctrines. 

17. After the subjugation of Gaul by the Romans, the van- 
quished adopted the language and customs of the conquerors; 
the ferocity of the Gauls was abated, the arts of civilized life 
introduced, and the former national character almost effaced. 
But with their freedom the Gauls lost the military spirit by 
which their ancestors had been distinguished ; luxury de- 
stroyed their courage, and they fell an easy prey to the de- 
scendants of those barbarians, by whom their ancestors had 
been expelhd from the east of Europe. 



THE GAULS 



IS 



Questions. 

1. From whom were the Cimbri descended? 

2. What nations sprung from Ciish ? 

3. When did the Cimmerians migrate from the Danube* 

4. How were the territories of the Celtic and Scythian tribes 

divided? 

5. What mercantile nations colonized the south of Gaul ? 
6 Dill the Gauls invade any of the European states? 

7. How did they regard the Phocean settlement of Marseilles 7 

8. What were the national characteristics of the Gauls ? 

9. How was the country divided? 

10. Was there any bond of connection between the several tribes! 
11 Who were the ministers of their religion? 

12. What were the gradations of rank among the Druids? 

13. Can you mention any particulars of their religion? 

14. In what branches of learning were they distinguished? 

15 Why were the Druids disliked by the Romans? 

16 How did the Gothic and Celtic Christians differ ? 

17 What was the eftect of the subjugation of Gaul ? 




Ancient Celts or Cymri, called by Herodotus Cimmeriana. 



u 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Merovaeus. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE FRANKS— FROM THE REIGN OF CLOVIS TO THE 
ACCESSION OF CHARLEMAGNE. 

How easy 'tis when destiny proves kind, 
With full-spread sails to run before the wind. 

Drtdeit, 

1, The Romans continued undisturbed masters of Gaul 
during two entire centuries ; but about the year 260, various 
barbarous tribes began to make incursions into it; the em- 
perors, sunk in debauchery, neglected the care of the pro- 
vinces, and this beautiful country became the prey of its fero- 
cious invaders. In the year 414, the Biirgundians and Visi 
goths, two Germanic tribes, obtained from the emperor Hono- 
rius settlements in the southern provinces of Gaul, while the 
northern parts were seized on by the Franks, a tierce tribe, 
who had assumed their name from their firm determination io 



THE FRANKS. 15 

remain free. Tnese people invaded Belgic Gaul, and, after a 
struggle which continued more than a century, succeeded in 
making themselves masters of a considerable tract, of which 
they made Treves the capital. 




Inauguration of a King of the Franks. 

2. Before the accession of Clovis, several kings 
ruled over the Franks, of whom the most celebrated .0^' 
was Pharamond ; he, as well as king Arthur, is a fa- 
vourite hero of romance; his dynasty is usually called the 
Merovingian, from Meroveus their supposed ancestor. 3. On 
the accession of Clovis, who was inaugurated in the usual 
manner of kings of the Franks by raising him on the 
shield, Gaul was divided into five states; tliat of the Bur- 
gundians and Visigoths in the south, that of the Franks in the 
north-east, the independent republic of Armorica, which oc- 
cupied the place of the present province of Brittany, and a 
small part of Belgic Gaul, which still remained subject to 
the Romans. 4. The first enterprise of Clovis was an attack 
on the Roman province where Syagrius, the provincial go- 
vernor, was aiming at royal power ; Clovis, at the early age 
of nineteen, completely defeated Syagrius near Soissons, 
drove out the Romans, and thus laid the foundation of the 
future greatness of the French monarchy. It was after this 
battle, and the sacking of the city of the Soissons, that an 



16 



HISTORY OF FRA.NCE. 



incident occurred, showing the little authority possessed by 
the kings of the Franks over their subjects. Saint Reini, the 
Bishop of Rheiras, demanded of Clovis a sacred vase, wliich 
he had seen among the spoils of the city. Willing to pro- 
pitiate the priests, and if possible gain them to his interests, 
Clovis was about to take up the vase and present it to the 
bishop, when a soldier, springing forward, struck it a violent 
blow with his battle-axe, which broke it into many pieces, de- 
claring that he would not let the king take any thing belong- 
ing to his part. of the booty. Clovis for a time restrained his 
anger; but about a year afterwards, seizing the opportunity 
of a review of his troops, he struck the battle-axe from the 
hands of the soldier, and while he stooped to pick it up he 
killed him with a blow of his own axe, saying, Remember 
tlie vase of Soissons. 




The Vase of Soissons. 



5. The Gauls detested the Roman yoke, and were ilrongfy 
attached to Christianity. Clovis won their affections by 
treating them with mildness, respecting their religion, and fa- 
vouring their bishops. His marriage with Clotilda, niece of 
Gondebald king of Burgundy, made his new subjects enter 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




THE FRANKS. 



19 



tain hopes that he would abjure idolatry for the Christian 
faith ; to which he was gradually reconciled by the exhorta- 
tions of that pious princess ; but he hesitated to make an im 
mediate change on account of the attachment of the Franks 
to their ancient faith. 6. At length, having defeated 
the Alemanni at Tolbiac, and attributing that victory .' ' 
to the God of Clotilda, whom he had invoked in th-e 




Clovis at the Battle of Tolbiac. 

crisis of the engagement, he caused himself to be baptized by 
St. Remi, bishop of Rheims, and the greater part of his sub- 
jects followed ilis example. After this event, having the sup- 
port of the bishop'j, Clovis greatly enlarged his dominions. 
He extended his conquests to the Loire ; and the battle of 
Voille, near Tour?- gained against the Visigoths, enabled the 
victorious Franks to carry their banners from Toulouse to 
Bonrdeaux, across the whole of Aquitania. On his 
return from the conquest Clovis entered in triumph the _' „' 
city of Tours. 7. The crimes of Gondebald afforded 
Clovis a pretext for attacking the Burgundians ; he was joined 
in this war by Theodoric the Great, king of Italy; but after 
having completed the conquest, Clovis found that he had more 
cause to dread his ally than his enemy, he therefore made 
peace with Gondebald and restored him to his dominions 



20 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



8. Clovis next resolved to seize on the territoiies of Ala- 
lic, king of the Visigoths; he covered his designs under the 
mask of religion, continually exclaiming against the horrid 
impiety of suffering Arians to reign in Gaul, for the Visigoths 
had adopted that heresy. Though Alaric was no persecutor, 
the Catholic clergy in his dominions favoured the enterprise 

of Clovis, and afforded one of the earliest instances 
^(17* ^^ ecclesiastical interference in the affairs of nations. 

At the battle of Vouille, near Poictiers, Clovis crowned 
the wishes of his party by a decisive victory, in which the 
Visigoths were totally overthrown and their sovereign Alaric 
slain. 9. Theodoric, alarmed at the progress of the Gauls, 
sent an army across the Alps, which checked the victorious 
career of Clovis, and inflicted on him a severe defeat near 
Aries. In consequence of this, Provence and part of Aqui- 
lain became subject to the Gothic monarchs of Italy. 




Clovis. 



10. Clovis dishonoured the latter part of his reign by 
Btrocious acts of treach-^ry and cruelty to his own relations, 
virhom he stripped of their possessions. At the same time 
he built churches and monasteries; doubtless from 



A. D. 



a persuasion that the Divine laws, like those of the 
barbarians, admitted a pecuniary compensation foi 
every crime. 



THE FRANKS. 



21 



11. On the death of Clovis his dominions were shared 
among his four sons, Thierry, Clodomir, Childebert, and 
Ciotaire ; and the monarchy was unhappily dismembered 
into four kingdoms ; Austrasia or Metz, Orleans, Paris, and 
Soissons. This division of necessity produced the most 
bloody civil wars ; the brothers became bitter enemies, and 
perpetrated the most savage enormities. Ciotaire and Chil- 
debert wrested their dominions from the sons of Clo- 
domir, two of whom Ciotaire stabbed with his own /„ .' 
hand. They afterwards united in an invasion of Bur- 
gundy, in which they were completely successful. 




ciotaire I. 



12. After a series of ruinous wars, Ciotaire I. became the 
sole monarch of France; but deriving no advantage from ex- 
perience of the calamities that had been caused by the former 
dismemberment of the kingdom, he too divided the monarchy 
between his four sons, and thus bequeathed another half- 
century of civil war to his unfortunate country. 

13. The evils of this calamitous period were greatly ag- 
gravated by the sanguinary ambition of two women, who 
rather deserved the epithet of furies than the title of queens 
These were Brunehaut and Fredegonde. The former, a 
princess of Spain, had married Sigebert, king of Austrasia 



22 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



the latter, at first mistress of Chilperic, king of Soissons, had 
prevailed on him to espouse her after divorcing his wife. 
Their mutual hatred and uncontrolled influence over theii 
husbands, gave birth to numerous crimes equally fatal to the 
people and the royal family. Sigebert was murdered by Fre- 
degonde's emissaries while he was besieging Chilperic in 
Tournay. She afterwards sacrificed the children of her hus- 
band by his former marriage to secure for her own son the 




Brunehaut. 



right of succession. Brunehaut, on her part breathing ven- 
geance, armed the princes, and fanned the flames of civil 
war ; but at last, falling into the hands of Clotaire, the son 
of Fredegonde, she was condemned to the most horrid tor- 
ments, as guilty of the murders of ten kings or children of 
kings. 

There was an old German custom, according to which, the 
chief of a troop of warriors was expected to grant them, 
from time to time, some mark of his favour, generally an 
ornamented battle-axe, or a fine war-horse. When the Franks 
were established in Gaul, and the chief had become the king, 
instead of arms and horses, he preferred to distribute among 
them a part of his domains. Originally, these benefices were 
only temporary, being reunited to the royal domain after the 
death of the chief to whom they had been granted, or even 



THE FRANKS 



23 



during his life, in case of forfeiture or of treason. Trius the 
king's favours seldom lessened his means ; but, when he 
consented to alienate for ever portions more or less consider- 
able of his domain, he soon found it impossible to repair his 
prodigalities. When the leudes could obtain no more from 
the king, they began to desert him •, an independent aristo- 
cracy was formed, which daily increased in power as the 
royal authority became less. It was the Austrasian leudes 
who first obtained this right by the treaty of Andelot : the 
Neustrian and Burgundian leudes were not slow in demand- 
ing and obtaining it also. 

14. Clotaire II., son of Chilperic and Fredegonde, 
again united France under a single monarch, after 
massacring a multitude of princes. He restored tran- 
quillity, and gained the confidence of his subjects, but by in- 
creasing the power of the nobility, and confiding tlie admi- 
nistration of government to the mayors of the palace^ he 
opened a way for the revolution which expelled his Simily 
from the throne. 



A. D. 

613. 




Fredegonde. 



15. Clotaire II. left the kingdom between his two 
sons, but Dagobert, by the murder of his brother, ob- ^'J^' 
tained possession of the entire. He is the most cele- 
brated of the Merovingian princes, and though he was guilty 



•24 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



of many atrocious crimes, he is deservedly praised for hi* 
impartial administration of justice, which was publicly sold 
by his predecessors. On the other hand, he loaded the peo- 
ple with severe impositions, both to supply his debaucheries, 
8nd according to the custom of the period, to expiate his 
•"imes by profuse donations to the church. 




Throne of Dagobert, in the Museum at Paris. 

16. After the death of Dagobert the monarchy fell 
' „■ into the possession of a series of monarchs who fol- 
lowed each other in rapid succession, and whose 
reigns present an almost perfect blank. They are commonly 
called Les Rois Fain^ans, or the sluggard kings, and appear 
to have well merited the disgraceful appellation. 17. The 
entire power of the state was possessed by the mayors of the 
palace, who left to the monarch little more than the shadow 
of royalty ; of these the most illustrious was Pepin d'Heris- 
tal, who ruled the province of Austrasia for twenty-seven 
years with equal prudence and courage. During the greater 
part of this period Pepin was virtually the sovereign of France, 
and kept the rightful monarch a prisoner in the palace, per- 
mitting him only to show himself annually to the people at 
the assemblies in <he Champ de Mars. 



THE FRANKS. 



25 



A. D. 



18. Pepin was succeeded by his illegitimate son, 
Charles Martel, one of the greatest generals that 2\2 
France has ever produced. 19. The Saracens, who 
had previously subdued the greater part of Spain, crossed the 
Pyrennees with an overwhelming force, and directing their 
course to Aquitain, defeated the governor, and subdued the 




Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours. 

greater part of the province. Charles Martel hasted 
to meet them, a battle was fought near Tours, and the '^^ 
Saracens were defeated with incredible slaughter. By 
this victory France was saved from becoming a Mohammedan 
country, and a check was given to the progress of a power 
which threatened the subjugation of Europe. 20. Thence- 
forward Martel employed himself in consolidating the strength 
of France, and introducing order into a kingdom which had 
been so long distracted. After having conferred these 
great blessings on his country he died, bequeathing the 
inheritance of his office to his sons Pepin and Carlo- 
man. 

21. After having obtained some successes m Germany 



A. D. 

741. 



26 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Ctrloman became disgusted with the world, and retired into 
a monastery; thus the whole authority of the state devolved 

on Pepin, who resolved to add the title to the power 
_,' of sovereign. 22. At a time when the Pupal power 

was assailed by the Greeks and Lombards, and when 
the support of an active partizan was likely to be well re- 
warded, Pepin laid before the Pope the following case of con- 
science, " Who ought to bear Uie title of king, a prince in- 
capable of governing, or a minister already invested with the 
royal authority, which he administered with honour.?" The 
Pope decided as Pepin wished, the clergy of France embraced 
his cause with zeal, the nobility respected his abilities, and 
the nation in general willingly agreed to remove a race of 
obscure inactive kings, who were scarcely known, even by 
name. 23. Childeric, the nominal monarch, was degraded, 
and, together with his son, shut up in a monastery ; Pepin 
was, without resistance, raised to the throne, and solemnly 
anointed at Soissons by St. Boniface, Bishop of Mentz, who 
had been long one of his most vigorous supporters. Pepin 
repaid the Pope by leading an army into Italy against the 
opponents of the Holy See : this expedition was very suc- 
cessful, Pepin conquered the Lombards and the Greeks in 
every engagement, and wrested from them several provinces, 
all of which he gave to the Pope. 24. The remainder of 
Pepin's reign was glorious and fortunate: he subjected the 
Saxons and Sclavonians to tribute, obliged the duke of Bavaria 
to take an oath of fidelity, and reunited the province of Aqui- 

tain to the French crown. He died in the seventeenth 

' ' year of his reign, equally respected at home and abroad 

' By consent of his nobility he divided his domin'ons 

between his two sons, Charles and Carloman,the reign of tbt 

former of whom forms a great epoch in history. 



Questions. 

1. What barbarous tribes established themselves in Gaolf 

2 What was the first line of French princes ? 

3 Hgw was Gaul divided at the accession of Clovia? 

4. What was his first enterprise'? 

5. How did Clovis conciliate the Gauls? 

6. When did he turn Christian ? 

7. Why did he make peace with Gondebald ? 

8. On what pretence did he attack the Visigoths T 



THE FRANKS. 



27 



d. By whom was Clovis defeated ? 

10. What crimes stained the close of his reign? 

11. How were his dominions divided ? 

12. Who next became sole monarch of France? 

13. Wliat females distracted tlie country by their crimes? 

14. To what officers was the administration confided ? 

15. What was the character of Dagobert? 

16. By what name are his successors distinguished ? 

17. Who was the most remarkable mayor of the palace? 

18. By whom was Pepin succeeded? 

19. From what enemy did Charles Martel rescue Chris'tendom 1 

20. What other benefits did he confer on France ? 

21. How did Pepin obtain the sole power? 

22. What case of conscience did he submit to the Pope? 

23. By whom was Pepin consecrated king ? 

24. Was he a good sovereign ? 




^t'**-!' H>;;«aet, Siiield, and Saddle. 



28 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Gbarlemagne, from a Mosaic, made by order of Pope Leo QL 



CHAPTER III. 



THE REIGN OF CHARLEMAGNE. 

All was prepared — T;he fire, the sword, the me 

To wield them in their terrible array; 
The army, like a lion from his den, 

March'd forth with nerves and sinews bent to slay. 
A human Hydra issuing from his fen 

To breathe destruction on its winding way. 

Btrsx. 

1. The French monarchy was divided between 
',' Charles, called afterwards Charlemagne, or Charle* 
the Great, and his brother Carloman. A civil war 
which was on the point of breaking out between the rival 
brothers was prevented by the death of the latter, and Charle- 
magne became the sole monarch of France. Having secured 
his accession he married the daughter of Didier, king of the 
Lombards, but soon after divorced her without assigning any 
cause. Didier, enraged at this affront, afforded an asylum to 
C>arloman's widow and her two sons, who had been deprived 



THE REIGN OF CHARLEMAGINE. 29 

of their inheritance by Charles, and attempted to gain over 
pope Adrian I. to his side. 2. But the pope was far from 
wishing to gratify the Lombard prince ; on the contrary, he 
entered into a closer alliance with the French king, on which 
Didier ravaged the territories that Pepin had given to the 
church, and which were now called the patrimony of St. 
Peter. Upon the news of these events Charlemagne passed 
the Alps with a numerous army, and by forced marches 
arriving at Verona before his approach was suspected, cap- 
tured the town, and made his sister-in-law with her two chil- 
dren prisoners. He next laid siege to Pavia, and by 
its capture put an end to the kingdom of the Lombards, -I,' 
which had subsisted two hundred and six years. 
Didier died in a monastery, but history is silent as to the fate 
of Charlemagne's nephews. 

3. During the siege- of Pavia Charlemagne paid a visit to 
Home, where he was met by the whole body of the clergy, 
with banners in their hands : Adrian received him with great 
pomp in the church of St. Peter, and the people sung " Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.'''' Charlemagne 
is said to have ratified the gift made to the church by Pepin ; 
but as neither the original nor any copy of such an important 
deed has been ever produced, the truth of this event appears 
very questionable. 

4. Almanzor, the king of the Saracens in Spain, was one 
of the greatest and wisest monarchs in Europe; he had com- 
pletely subdued the Christian princes in the Peninsula, and 
compelled them to pay him tribute ; the rulers of Sara- 
gossa and Arragon however revolted, and called in '^n' 
Charlemagne, whom they acknowledged as their 
sovereign. The French monarch passed the Pyrennees and 
subdued the whole country as far as the Ebro, but on his 
return the rear of his army was attacked at Roncesvalles by 
the duke of Gascony, and his gallant nephew Roland slain. 
This trifling engagement has furnished the theme of an im- 
mense number of romances. 

5. During all this period the war with the Saxons con- 
tinued : Pepin had compelled them to pay tribute, and besides 
forced them to receive missionaries, but they could neither 
bear to pay the one nor embrace the religion of the other, 
the pacific spirit of which was so contradictory to the human 
passions. Having massacred several of the missionaries, and 
committed several other outrages, they provoked Charlemagne 



30 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



to wage war against them, and so strenuously were they at- 
tached to liberty, that they held out against his power 
^Q.-,' for thirty years. 6. In one of these battles Witikindf 
the Saxon general, inflicted a severe defeat on the 
French, which Charlemagne cruelly revenged by the massacre 
of Verden, where four thousand five hunch'ed of the principal 
Saxons were beheaded. 7. At length Witikind, after being 




Submission of Witikind. 



defeated with great slaughter in several battles, made his sub- 
mission, and embraced Christianity. His followers were not 
equally tractable; they often revolted, and were not com- 
pletely subdued until Charlemagne removed many thousand 
families of them, which he dispersed through Flanders and 
other countries. Some of the most resolute tribes retired 
into Scandinavia, carrying with them an implacable hatred 
against the dominion and religion of the French. 

8. Every nation in Germany that attempted to make the 
least resistance to the arms of Charlemagne was subdued ; 
the Sclavonians in Pomerania shared the fate of the Saxons, 
and were compelled to become Christians and subjects. 
Tassilo, duke of Bavaria, the nephew of Charlemagne, had 



THE REIGN OF CHARLEMAGNE. 31 

encouragea the Saxons in their rebellion, and Charlemagne 
in turn entered Bavaria. The duke in his distress sought the 
alliance of the Huns or Abares, who had settled in the king- 
dom of Hungary, to which they have given their name. This 
nation of robbers used to sally out and plunder all the neigh- 
bouring states, and then return with their booty to some for- 
tified enclosures which tiiey called rings. This alliance with 
the Bavarian duke was fatal to both parties ; his own subjects, 
disgusted with their barbarous allies, rebelled against Tassilo, 
and delivi red him up to Charlemagne, by whom he was sen- 
tenced to perpetual imprisonment; the Huns, after a severe 
and protracted struggle, which lasted nine years, were totally 
subdued, iheir rings taken, and the accumulated plunder of 
two hundred years seized on by the French monarch. 
9. On the death of queen Hildegard, Charlemagne 
took for liis wife Fastrade, a woman of low birth, but „* ' 
of a vindictive and haughty temper; this marriage 
was fatal to his peace and to his fame : she filled his mind 
with jealousies and suspicions, stimulated him to acts of 
cruelty, and made him the oppressor both of the nobles and 
the people. 10. This conduct created disafl^ection, a 
conspiracv was formed to dethrone Charlemagne, and ' * 
to place the crown on the head of Pepin, one of his 
natural si.ns. The plot was fortunately discovered, and most 
of the conspirators punished, but Charlemagne never again 
recovered the full confidence of his subjects. 

11. Leo III., who succeeded Adrian on the papal 
throne, immediately after his accession sent the stan- ' ' 
dard of Rome to Charlemagne, entreating him to send 

a deputy to that cily to receive the allegiance of the inhabit- 
ants ; a clear proof that the pontiffs at this period acknow 
ledged the sovereignty of the emperor. Three years after, 
the relations of the late pope brought an accusation against 
Leo, attacked him in the open street, overwhelmed him with 
a shower of blows, and shut him up half dead in the prison 
of a monastery. From thence, however, he contrived to 
make his escape, and fled to Charlemagne, who received hira 
with the greatest respect, sent him back loaded with honours, 
and pronused soon to foUovv him into Italy. 

12. Li the following year Charlemagne proceeded 

to Rom(=, to investigate the changes made against Leo ; „' „ 
several of the clergy objected to this proceeding, de- 
claring that ecclesiastics could not be tried by a lay tribuna) 



32 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

out Leo consented to make his defence, and was honourably 
acquitted. On the Christmas-day following, the pope, in the 
midst of divine service, placed an imperial crown on the head 
of Charlemagne, and the people shouted, " Long life to 
Charles Augustus^ crowned by the hand of God, great and 
pacific emperor of the RotnansP Leo by this act threw off 
the nominal subjection under which the popes still were to 
the emperors of Constantinople, and from this period there 
were two empires, the eastern and the western, Charlemagne 
being the first emperor of the west. 

13. The death of Fastrade having left Charlemagne again 
a widower, he designed to marry Irene, who had usurped the 
throne of Constantinople, after having dethroned and mur- 
dered her son Constantine. This match was prevented by a 
new change in the east ; Irene was dethroned by the patrician 
Nicephorus, who confined her in a monastery, and mounted 
the throne. 

14. The new emperor, dreading the power of 

„", j' Charlemagne, hastened to enter into alliance with 

him ; a treaty was concluded, by which the limits of 

the two empires were settled ; and thus the sovereignty of 

the entire Roman empire, so long claimed by the monarchs 

of Constantinople, was resigned. 

15. The fame of Charlemagne penetrated into Asia. The 
celebrated caliph, Haroun al Raschid, whose name is familiar 
to every reader of the Arabian Tales, and who was one of 
the greatest encouragers of learning in the east, sent an em- 
bassy to Charlemagne with many valuable presents, among 
which was a striking clock, said to have been the first ever 
seen in France : as a further proof of his friendship, the 
caliph ceded to him the sovereignty of Jerusalem, which, 
even at this period, was frequented by pilgrims for the pur- 
poses of devotion. 

16. Charlemagne had now vanquished all his old 

J^' enemies, when a new and more formidable foe ap- 
peared on his coasts ; the Normans, a people from 
the northern shores of the Baltic, under the command of a 
brave leader named Godfrey, made several piratical incursions 
on the shores of France, and carried off immense spoil, 
Charlemagne led an army against the country of 'ihese pirates, 
but finding the difficulties of the war insuperabJe, was com- 
pelled to make peace with them and return home. 

17. One great cause of the ruin of states, in the middle 



THE REIGN OF CHARLEMAGNE. 38 

ages, was the absurd custom of dividing them, after the de 
cease of the sovereign, among several princes ; Charlemagne 
adopted this absurd practice, and by his will, which he caused 
to be signed by the bishops and other great lords, he shared 
his empire between his three sons, Charles, Pepin, and 
Louis, appointing them also his lieutenants during his „' ' 
life-time. But soon after this arrangement the two 
eldest died, and Charles associated his surviving son 
Louis with him in the kingdom. 18. The death of ' ' 
his children weighed heavily on the mind of Chailes; 
from a state of vigorous health he passed all at once to the 
infirmity and decrepitude of old age ; as the hour of his dis- 
solution approached, he devoted his time to preparation foi 
the awful change, and spent the last year of his life in the 
study of the Scriptures, in prayer and in acts of charity. 
When Charles felt that the moment of his dissolution was at 
hand, he gathered sufficient strength to make the sign of the 
cross with his right hand ; then quietly composing himself 
in the bed, he exclaimed, " Into thy hands I commend my 
spirit," and expired as he uttered the words. 

19. Charlemagne died in the seventy-second year of his 
age, and the forty-fourth of his reign, after having acquired 
a vast empire, which his abilities could alone maintain. He 
was master of all France, Germany, Hungary, and Belgium, 
together with the country of Barcelona in Spain, and Italy as 
far as Benevento. His abilities, as a conqueror and general, 
did not surpass his great qualities as a ironarch and states- 
man. He created a naval force to control the piratical at- 
tempts of the Normans, he designed a canal of communica- 
tion between the Rhine and Danube, which would have 
united the commerce of the Atlantic Ocean and the Black 
Sea — a useful project, which the want of intelligent work- 
men prevented from being put into execution ; he founded 
schools and universities, and gave his subjects a code of laws 
called capitularies ; which, amid many absurdities, contain a 
great number of useful enactments. The administration of 
justice during the reign of Charlemagne, was provided for by 
the establishment of commissioners, who made quarterly 
circuits through the provinces, to receive and juage of all 
complaints against the local governors, and to whom the 
clergy were subject as well as the laity. The greatest defect 
in the policy of Charlemagne was his constant intermeddling 
with points of religious belief, and his issuing edicts on ob 

C 



34 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

BCiire questions of theology, many of which transcended thfl 
bounds of human knowledge. The procession of the third 
person in the Trinity, was one of the topics on which 
Charlemagne thought fit to legislate, and but for the prudence 
of Leo IIF. the emperor's determination on this subject would 
have produced as great a schism between the Italian and Gal- 
ilean churches, as that between the Latins and Greeks. 
Though Charlemagne censured the riches and luxury of ec- 
clesiastics, he made several rich donations to the churcli, and 
greatly increased the power and possessions of the papal see. 
20. In private life the French monarch was a very estima- 
ble character; he divided tlie day into several portions, as- 
signing to each its different employment. He was a kind 
master, a tender husband, and an affectionate father. He was 
strongly attached to literature, and conversation with men of 
learning was the favourite employment of his hours of re- 
laxation. 



Questions. 

1. What was the cause of the war between Charlemagne and 

Didier? 

2. How did it terminate ? 

3. In what manner was Charles received at Rome 

4. What led to the battle of Roncesvalles ? 

5. With what German nation was Charles at war? 

6. Was he ever defeated 7 

7. How did the war terminate? 

8. What other nations were subdued by Charlemagne? 

9. Why was his second marriage unfortunate ? 

10. What was the consequence of his cruelty ? 

11. To what dangers was Pope Leo HI. exposed ? 

12. How did the pope reward Charlemagne? 

13. What prevented the marriage of Charles and Irene 

14. Wliat remarkable treaty was concluded with Nicephorus T 
If). How does it appear that the fame of Charles penetrated inM 

the east ? 

16. What new enemy attacked the French coasts 7 

17. How did Cliarles provide for his children? 

18. How was the close of his life spent? 

19. What was the character of his reign 7 

aC. How did he conduct himself in private life I 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 



35 




Ancient Crossbow Men. 



CHAPTER IV. 



FRENCH MONARCHS OF THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE 

O monarch, listen. — 
How many a day and moon thou hast reclined 
Within these palace wails in silken dalliance, 
And never shown thee to thy people's longing! — 
Till all, save evil, slumbered in the realm. 

BrRoir. 

1. The empire which had been established by the 
wisdom and policy of Charlemagne, soon crumbled q*, .' 
lo pieces during the reigns of his weak and inglorious 
successors. The entire history of the period is confused and 
entangled by the divisions which the sovereigns made of their 
dominions between their children, by the rapid changes of 
territory and succession of monarchs, distinguished only by 
their name ; the reader should therefore refer to the tabular 
view of the French kings at the end of the volume, when^ 
ever he finds himself impeded by these difficulties. The 
people of France hailed the accession of Louis with joy, be- 
cause he had endeared himself to the people of AquitaiiL 



36 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

where he had hitherto resided, by gentleness and good temper, 
and seemed more attached to his native subjects than to 
foreigners*, while Ciiarleinagne was supposed to have dis- 
liked both the language and the people of France. From the 
suavity of his manners and kindness of his disposition, his 
subjects called him Louis Le Debonnaire, or the Good-natured j 
a name expressive of qualities valuable in private life, but nut 
the best suited for the management of a powerful empire. 

2. Two years after his accession he received the 
o"]^' "mperial crown from the hands of Pope Stephen V., 
and soon after committed the greatest and most com- 
mon error of the French sovereigns, by dividing the monarchy 
among his children ; thus still more weakening an authority 
already much enfeebled by the folly of the government. He 
gave Aquitain to Pepin, Bavaria to Louis, and made Lothaire, 
the eldest of these princes, his partner in the empire. 

3. Bernard, the nephew of Louis, enjoyed the crown of 
Jtaly as a fief of the empire ; indignant at the elevation of 
Lothaire, he raised the standard of revolt, and broke out into 
open rebellion. Being abandoned by his troops, he was taken 
prisoner, tried, and condemned to death ; but Louis commuted 
the punishment, and caused his eyes to be put out; three 
days after the young prince died. In order to prevent new 
troubles, the emperor shut up in a monastery three natural 
soos of Charlemagne, and compelled them to take the mo- 
nastic vows. 

4. After these acts of rigour, Louis became distracted with 
remorse ; he reproached himself as the murderer of his ne- 
phew, and the tyrant of his brothers ; these feelings were ag- 
gravated by the artifices of the clergy, who, at length, per- 
suaded the king to accuse himself in a general assembly, and 
to solicit the prelates to admit him to public penance. 
Though the clergy pretended to be greatly edifiecl by his 
proceedings, they saw how easily a man of such feeble un- 
derstanding might be enslaved to their authority, and were 
not slow in taking advantage of the mistaken devotion which 
degraded the imperial majesty. 5. An opportunity soon pre- 
sented itself; after the death of his first wife, Louis had been 
united to Judith, daughter of the count of Bavaria, and had 
by her a son who was afterwards king of France, under the 
name of Charles the Bald. As this child seemed to be ex 
eluded from the succession by the partition made in favour 
of the children of the first marriage, Louis was prevailed upon 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 37 

to make a new division, and obtain the consent of Lothaire. 
who was principally concerned to oppose it, and who soon 
found reason to lament his complaisance. 

The three princes soon after formed a party to re- 
store the original arrangement, and received efJeclive q^q' 
aid from Vala, abbot of Corbie, who, though reputed 
a saint, did not scruple to put himself at the head of a fac- 
tion. Prodigies were invented to inflame the credulous mul- 
titude, the most odious charges were brought against the go- 
vernment, and especially the empress was accused of having 
committed adultery with Count Bernard, a minister who had 
rendered himself odious by his stern inflexibility. G. The 
weak-minded Louis humbled himself to the rebels, his em- 
press was confined to a cloister, the king himself narrowly 
escaped a similar fate, and was compelled to publish a general 
amnesty, which only increased the insolence of the seditious. 

7. The flames of this rebellion had scarcely been 
extinguished, when a multitude of errors kindled an- qoo* 
other. Louis began once more to exercise the powers 

of a sovereign ; he recalled Judith to court, when her am 
bition was exasperated by a thirst of vengeance ; he banished 
Vala, regardless of the popularity which he had acquired by 
his pretensions to sanctity, and finally he disinherited his two 
sons Lothaire and Pepin, thus affording them a pretext for 
their unnatural hostility.^ He even made himself odious to 
his able minister, count Bernard, by giving himself up to the 
councils of a monk, who had unhappily gained his confii- 
dence. 

8. Lothaire, Pepin, and Louis, assembled their 
troops in Alsace, and prepared to march against their jao.^' 
father and their sovereign. Pope Gregory IV. joined 

them under the pretence of acting as a mediator, but dis- 
played all the zeal of a warm partizan, and threatened the 
weak monarch wiih the terrors of excommunication. Upon 
this several of the loyal prelates of France sent a spirited 
remonstrance to the pope, accusing him of treason to his 
sovereign, threatening him with excommunication for excom- 
munication, and even with deposition, if he persevered in hia 
rebellion. Agobard, bisliop of Lyons, the most celebrated c.i 
the French prelates, rei'used to concur with his bretliren, and 
joined with Vala and a monk named Ratberl, in asserting tliat 
the pope was invested with the aulh.orily of universal judge 
and was amenable, to nu hnuian tribunal. Gregory, acting on 
4 



38 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the principles of his srpporters, replied to the renionstranp.f. 
of the loyal prelates in terms of haughtiness, previously 
unparalleled, and asserted an authority which no pope had 
hitherto claimed, 

9. The crafty Lothaire sent Gregory to propose terms of 
accommodation with Louis : it is not known what passed at 
the interview, but the consequences were destructive of the 
royal cause. By the intrigues of Gregory the monarch was 
suddenly deprived of all support, and obliged to surrender to 
his enemies at discretion. He was then deposed by a tumul- 
tuous assembly, and the empire conferred on his son ; after 
which the pope returned to Rome. 

10. In order to give permanency to this revolution, Ebbo, 
whom Louis had raised from a servile condition to the see of 
Rheims, proposed the following extraordinary and iniquitous 
method. "A penitent," he said, " ought to be excluded from 
Holding any civil office ! therefore a king who is a penitent 
must be incapable of governing; consequently, to subject 
Louis to penance, will for ever bar his way to the throne." 
The advice was acted upon, Louis was compelled to perform 
public penance in the monastery of St. Medard de Soissons, 
and after having signed a written confession, was stripped oi 
his royal robes, clothed in the habit of a penitent, and ira 
mured in a cell ; while Agobard was employed to write a 
vindication of all these horrors. 

11. But the prelates had proceeded too far; the cry 
„" ' of outraged nature and the voice of justice made a 

deep impression on the minds of the people ; Lothaire 
became the object of universal detestation, and a new revolu- 
tion restored Louis to his throne. His superstitious weakness 
became now more conspicuous than ever; he refused to re- 
sume the title of sovereign until he had received absolution 
professed the most profound submission to Gregory, and, 
after a short suspension, restored Agobard to his formei 
authority. 

12. A repetition of the same faults naturally pro- 
_* ■ duced the same misfortunes ; on the death of his son 

Pepin, Louis divided his dominions between Lothaire 
and Charles, to the exclusion of the Bavarian prince, who 
immediately had recourse to arms. While the emperor was 
on his march against this rebellious son, tortured with grief 
and terrified by an eclipse of the sun which he deemed an 
«vil omei:, he fell sick in the neighbourhood of Men tz, where 



rhE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 39 

ne expired in the twenty-eightli yeai of his reign A pro- 
vision for his favourite son Charles occupied his attention 
even in his last moments, and he hequealhed to him the pro- 
vinces of Burgundy and Neustria, which was subsequently 
called Normandy. 

13. During this reign the Saracens having subdued Sicily, 
infested the Tuscan Sea and threatened to make themselves 
masters of Italy ; and in the mean time the Normans con- 
tinued to ravage the coasts of Flanders and France. Thus 
wnth enemies on the north and south, discord, crime, and 
civil war raging within, Europe at this period presented a 
most lamentable picture ; the misfortunes of France above all 
demand our attention, for its crimes were the greatest and its 
sufferings were the most severe. 

14. A bad son will never make a good brother: 

. A. D. 

scarcely had Lothaire been seated on the throne, when '/ 
he prepared to strip his brothers of their dominions. 
Louis and Charles, united by common interest, marched 
against their eldest brother, and defeated him at Fontenai in 
Burgundy. Few battles have been more bloody than this; 
historians differ as to the precise number of the slain, but all 
agree that the loss which France sustained in that fatal field, 
was one of the principal causes of the subsequent triumphs 
of the Norman invaders. 

15. In order to procure the assistance of the Saxons, Lo- 
thaire had promised to suspend the laws of Charlemagne, 
which compelled them to observe the ordinances of Chris- 
tianity ; this afft^rded his brothers a pretence for endeavouring 
to procure his deposition. A numerous meeting of bishops 
was held at Aix-la-Chapelle, before whom the two princes 
preferred their complaint ; and the bishops having examined 
the charge, pronounced that Lothaire had forfeited his right 
to tlie empire, which they assigned over to his brothers. This 
decree would have been observed to its iuU extent, had Lo- 
tliaire been as ready to obey it as his brothers. But this 
prince was still formidable, and compelled his rivals to a new 
treaty of partition, subsequently confirmed at Mersen on the 
Maes, by which he retaineil most of his former dominions. 

16. A few years after these transactions, Lothaire 

A. Da 

died; a litth^ before iiis dissolution he commanded op-,-' 
riiinself to be clothed in a monkish dress ; a convenient 
piece of devotion, by whicfi bad princes thought that their 
crimes might be expiated at the moment of death Hia 



40 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

dominions were divided among his sons ; Louis had Italy with 
the title of emperor, Lothaire II. obtained that province which 
from him was called Lotharingia, and subsequently Lorraine^ 
and Charles had the kingdom of Provence. Thus the empire 
of Charlemagne was divided into a number of petty states, 
the mutual jealousies of which were productive of constant 
bloodshed. The dominions of Charles the Bald were the 
most unfortunate of these states ; governed by a prince who 
inherit&d the weakness of his father and the turbulent spirit 
of his mother, devastated by the Normans, who carried fire 
and sword to the very gates of Paris, and distracted by dis 
sensions between the clergy and nobility, who, intent on their 
own petty jealousies, abandoned the state to its enemies. In 
this condition of aflairs Charles was unable to make any re- 
sistance to the Normans, and when they sailed up the Seine 
to besiege Paris, he could only save the city by bribing them 
to retire ; a course of proceeding which only made them the 
more eager to return. 

17. Tiie weakness of the successors of Charle- 
c.'on' magne, had stimulated the ambition of the popes to 
■ establish their authority over all the European 
monarchs, and an event which occurred about this time not 
a little contributed to their success. Lothaire II. king of Lor- 
raine, divorced his veife Teutberga on a false charge of incest. 
She had first justified herself by the ordeal of boiling water, 
but was subsequently convicted on her own confession, if a 
declaration extorted by threats and brutal violence, can be 
called by that name. Lothaire then married his concubine 
Valdrada, and persuaded a council of bishops assembled at 
Aix-la-Chapelle, to sanction his proceedings. 18. The 
flagrant iniquity of this act in some degree justified the inter- 
ference of the pope : it was perhaps his duty to have rebuked 
Lothaire, but Nicholas was resolved to bring him to trial. A 
council was assembled at Mentz which proceeded to examine 
into the affair, and, contrary to the universal expectation, i 
decided in favour of Lothaire. Nicholas deposed the bishops 
who had been most influential in procuring this decision, and 
sent a legate to threaten the king of Lorraine with prompt 
excommunication unless he recalled Teutberga. The intimi- 
dated monarch consented, and even gave up Valdrada to be 
taken as a prisoner to Rome. She however escaped on the 
road, and returning to Lorraine, was restored to her formei 
honours; while Teutberga, wearied out by the contest, as- 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 41 

sented to the nullity of her own marriage, and acknowledged 
her rival as legitimate queen. 19. This did not satisfy 
Nicholas; but death prevented his interference, and his suc- 
cessor, a prelate of greater moderation, contented himself with 
summoning Lothaire to Rome. That prince swore on the 
Holy Sacrament, that he was innocent of the crimes laid to 
his charge ; and his death, which occurred soon after, was 
universally looked upon as the punishment of his perjury. 

20. The dominions of Lothaire were seized by his uncles, 
Charles the Bald and Louis the Germanic, to the exclusion 
of his brother the emperor Louis. In vain did pope Adriaa 
threaten the king of France as an usurper ; supported by the 
celebrated Hencraar of Rheims, he issued a manifesto assert- 
ing the supremacy of the state over the church, and declaring 
that free men would not allow themselves to be enslaved by 
the bishop of Rome. The pope soon found means to annoy 
the French monarch ; Charles had shut up his two younger 
sons in a monastery ; Lothan-e, who was lame and sickly, re- 
conciled himself to his lot, but Carloman resisted his father's 
determination, and found the pope an assistant in his rebel- 
lion. Carloman was eventually defeated, and obliged to seek 
an asylum in the court of Louis the Germanic. 

21. Meantime Louis II. died without male issue, 

and their mutual advantage persuaded the French q^,-' 
court and the holy see to lay aside their jealousies. 
Adrian wrote a friendly and even flattering letter to Charles; 
his successor, John VIII. went farther, and crowned him as 
Bmperor at Favia. About the same time died Louis the Ger- 
manic, dividing his kingdom as usual among his three chil- 
dren. Charles made an ineffectual attempt to deprive them 
of their possessions, but was defeated with loss and disgrace 
It appears a strange instance of imprudence that he should 
thus aim at foreign conquests, while he was unable to pre- 
serve his own dominions from the ravages of the Normans, 
who devastated the country in every direction. 

22. The Saracens -still continued to lay waste the 
shores of Italy, and the pope, terrified at their progress, q~-.* 
summoned the emperor to his assistance, threatening 

that he would deprive him of the erhpire in case of a refusal. 
Charles complied with the mandate, but he had scarcely ar- 
rived in Italy, when the news reached him that his nephew 
Carloman was on his march to deprive him of the imperial 
crown. He hasted to return to France, but on the road he 
4* 



42 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

was deserted by his lords, and being seized with disease, dic6 
miserably in a wretched hut by the way-side. 

23. This reign is remarkable as being that in which the 
feudal system was finally established. The government of 
provinces and districts, which had been previously held during 
pleasure, or at most for life, was by a capitulary enacted in 
the last year of this reign, made hereditary; and thus the 
power of the nobles was firmly established on the ruins of 
the royal authority. 24. About this time also, the Gauls and 
Franks began to be amalgamated into one nation, and the lan- 
guage of the country, which had been previously a mixture 
of Latin and German, began to settle down into two dialects, 
deriving their name from the word in each that signified yes. 
The southern was called langue dPoc, and was the parent of 
the Provencal or language of the Troubadours, the northerns 
used the langue dPoui^ from which the modern French has 
been derived. 



Questions. 

1. Why were the French pleased at the accession of Louis? 

2. What error did he commit? 

3. How did he suppress the rebellions that threatened his se- 

curity ? 

4. Did be repent of his severity ? 

5. What event occasioned new disturbances 1 

6. How did the rebellion terminate? 

7. What were the causes of the second civil war ? 

8. By what prelate were the rebels aided ? 

9. How did the war terminate ? 

10. By what artifice was it attempted to exclude Louis from the 

throne ? 

11. What was the consequence ? 

.12. What caused the death of Louis'? 

13. In what situation was Europe at this time ? 

14. How did the sons of Louis behave to each other ? 

15. Under what pretext did his brothers attack Lothaire? 

16. Why was the empire further subdivided 1 

17. What circumstance enabled the popes to increase ihei/ 

power ? 

18. How did pope Nicholas behave ? 

19. In what manner did this affair terminate? 

20. Who seized on the dominions of Lothaire ? And what wai 

the consequence ? 

21. How were the French and papal courts united ? 

22. Was there any thing remarkable in the death of Chailesf 

23. When was the feudal system established, and howt 

24. What two languages prevailed in France? 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE, 43 




Charles the Bald. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE CONTINUED. 

In vain recorded in historic page 
They court the notice of a future age : 
Those twinkling tiny lustres of the land 
Drop one by one from Fame's neglecting hand ; 
Lethean gulfs receive them as they fall, 
And dark oblivion soon absorbs them all. 

1. Charles the Bald was succeeded by his son Louip, sur 
named Le Begue^ or the Stammerer, during whose brief reign 
of two years, no event of importance occurred. He 
'eft behind two sons, Louis and Carloman, and some „' p* 
months after his death, a posthumous son, Charles, 
was born, who was afterwards surnamed the Simple. Louis 
HI. and Carloaian shared between them the dominions of 
their father, and lived together in harmony. But Bozon, the 
father-in-law of Carloman, dismembered the French monarchy 
by the erection of a new kingdom. A council, held at Mante, 
"n Dauphiny, declared that they had been divinely inspired to 
g'ive the kingdom of Aries, or, as it is more usually called 



44 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Provence, to the Duke of Bozon, 2. The pope sanctioned 
the proceeding, and personally crowned the new monarch 
Bozon proved a wise and politic sovereign ; he preserved 
his little kingdom safe from all the calamities by which the 
rest of the country was devastated, and during several centu- 
ries Provence continued the centre of all the elegance and re' 
fineraent of France. 

3. The sons of Charles the Bald did not long pos- 
„Q . ' sess the throne ; both died prematurely, and the right 

of inheritance devolved to Charles the Simple, then in 
his fifth year. The nobles of France saw that in the present 
condition of that country, an infant sovereign would precipi- 
tate the ruin of the state, and they therefore gave the crown 
to Charles, surnamed le Gros, or the Fat, the only surviving 
son of Louis the Germanic. As he had previously succeeded 
to the inheritance of his two brothers, and had obtained the 
imperial crown from the pope, the greater part of the domi- 
nions of Charlemagne were again united under one head ; but 
that head, destitute of genius and courage, was unequal to the 
management of such extensive territories. 4. Charles was 
proud and cowardly ; he was also rendered contemptible by 
his gluttony, and infamous by his disregard of treaties. Sooi 
after his accession, he purchased a peace from the Normans, 
by yielding up to them the province of Friezland, and stipu- 
lating to pay them tribute ; but he again provoked their hos- 
tility by repeated acts of treachery, and they fell upon France 
with greater fury than ever. 5. Advancing through the coun 

try, they burned Pontoise, and at length laid siege to 
q'qo' Paris. This siege is celebrated both in history and 

romance for the valiant resistance of the besieged. 
Eudes, Count of Paris, had put the town into a good state 
of defence, and augmented the garrison by the addition of 
several brave nobles, among whom two bishops, Goslin and 
Ansheric, were conspicuous. 6. For more than a year they 
held out, anxiously expecting the approach of their sovereign 
to raise the siege. At length he appeared at the head of a 
numerous army, but though almost sure of victory, he had 
not the spirit to hazard an engagement, but purchased the re- 
treat of the Normans by the payment of an enormous 
ransom. 

7. All the nations of the French empire were seized with a 
spirit of revolt, principally arising from their disgust at this 
disgraceful transaction. The Germans first took up arms 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 45 




■nd elected Arnolph, a natural son of the king of Bavaria, as 
their sovereign. Italy submitted to the dukes of Friuli and 
Spoleto, and France chose as its sovereign, Eudes, the heroic 
defender of Paris. The unhappy Charles fell into a state of 
confirmed insanity ; deserted by his servants, and expelled 
from his palace, he would have wanted the common neces- 
saries of life but for the compassion of Luitbart, bishop 
of Mentz, and under the protection of that generous '' 
prelate he terminated his miserable existence. 

8. Eudes had been elected king of France, but his domin- 
ions were limited to the provinces that lie between the Meuse 
and the Loire ; even in this diminished territory there were 
several principalities, whose submission to the sovereign was 
only nominal, of whom the counts of Flanders and Anjou 
were the most powerful. After a short time, the people of 
France became dissatisfied with the vigorous administration 
of Eudes, and the count of Vermandois united with 
the archbishop of Rheims to restore the throne to the ^\n 
rightful heir, Charles the Simple. 9. After some fight- 
ing, it was agreed to divide the kingdom between the two 
monarchs; Eudes retaining Paris and its neighbourhood 



16 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

while the court of Charles was established on the 
q' / banks of the Moselle. At length Eudes died, and 

Charles became the sole monarch of France. 
10. After an absolute blank of some years, we meet with 
an account of the appearance of RoUo, the most celebrated 
of the Norman chieftains. He every where defeated the 
French forces, seized on Rouen, which he converted into a 
place of arms, and struck the king with so much terror, that 
lie resolved to purchase peace on any conditions. He sent a 
bishop as an ambassador to Hollo, offering to give him his 
daughter in marriage, and cede the province of Neustria to 
him and his followers, provided that he should become a 
Christian, acknowledge the king of France as his feudal sove- 
reign, and aid in repelling any future invasions of his coun- 
trymen. Rollo, to whom religion was a matter of perfect 
indifference, assented to all the conditions, stipulating only 
thfet Bretagne should be ceded to him until the other province 
was cultivated. This was granted, the marriage soon after- 
wards took place, and Rollo paid homage to the crown more 
jke a conqueror than a vassal. 

11. The weakness and incapacity of Charles became 

„' ■ every day more apparent; he allowed himself to be 

entirely governed by Haganon, a man of low birth, 

hated by the nobility, and despised by the people. Robert, 

brother of king Eudes, appeared in arms against him ; and 

Charles, instead of levying an army, assembled a council. 

where he procured the excommunication of his opponents. 

12. After a slight struggle, Robert was killed in battle, and 

his son, Hugh the Great, or the Abbot, though he might have 

obtained the crown for himself, chose rather to bestow it on 

Raoul or Rodolph, duke of Burgundy. Rodolph gained over 

the nobles by lavish donations of the land, which still belonged 

to the crown ; Charles was made a prisoner, and his 

A. D - 1 

qon" queen Elgiva fled to the court of her brother Athelstan, 
king of England, accompanied by her son, a boy about 
nine years old. Herbert, count de Vernandois, had obtained 
possession of the person of the unhappy Charles, under the 
pretence of undertaking his defence ; but he detained him a 
prisoner, in order to procure good terms from Rodolph by 
threatening him with the liberation of his rival. By this 
means he procured the county of Laon from the new sove 
reign, and Charles soon afterwards died, poisoned, as it is said 
bv the count de Vernandois, 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 47 

13. During his unhappy reign, France was for ever deprived 
of Germany and the empire. Despising the weakness of 
Charles the Simple, the German states unanimously elected 
Otho, duke of Saxony, to the imperial throne; but Otho de- 
clining it on account of his advanced age, proposed Coniad, 
duke of Frariconia, and his choice was confirmed by the 
assembly of the states. This monarch died in 919, recom- 
mending to the nobility Henry, son of his benefactor Otho, as 
his successor. At a general assembly of the states this recom- 
mendation was adopted ; and Henry, surnamed the Fowler, 
from his love of hawking, obtained possession of the empire. 
This prince and his immediate successors were celebrated for 
their valour and prudence ; they restored tranquillity to the 
middle of Europe, and thus the house of Saxony became the 
heirs both to the glory and power of Charlemagne. 

14. Though Rodolph was nominally king of France, all 
the real power of the state was lodged in the haiids of Hugh 
the Great, who had raised him to the throne. In addition to 
his hereditary property, he enjoyed the revenues of so many 
abbeys, that he is frequently called the Abbot. The posses- 
sions of the church were now so great that they had attracted 
the cupidity of the laity, and though the papal see frequently 
endeavoured to check such a fflaringf abuse, it con- 

o o " A. D. 

tinned to prevail during this and the following age. g!^/ 
Rodolph did not long enjoy the crown; he survived 
the unhappy Charles about six years, leaving no children. 
Rollo, the conqueror of Normandy, died about three years 
before, leaving his son William, surnamed longue epee^ oi 
Long-sword, the heir both of his principality and bis virtues 



(questions. 

1. By whom was the kingdom of Provence founded ? 

2. What was the character of Bozon ? 

3. By whom were the dominions of Charlemagne again anitsd 

under a single sovereign ? 

4. What was the character of Charles the Fat? 

5. Did any thing remarkable occur at the siege of PariaT 

6. How was the siege raised ? 

7. What was the effect of the king's cowardice? 

8. Why did the French revolt against Eudes i 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

9. How was the war terminated? 
10. On what condition was peace made with Rolio? 
1. Who raised the standard of revolt against Charles f 

12. What were the events of the war ? 

13. By whom was the empire of Germany founded! 

14. How was France governed ? 




of the NonanRTti or XonnsMi 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 40 




CHAPTER VI. 

THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE CONCLUDED. 

O mortal, mortal Ptate ! and what art thou ? 
Even in thy glory comes the changing shade, 
And makes thee like a vision fade away! 
And then misfortune takes the moisten'd sponga 
And clean effaces all the picture out. 

JCSCHTIVS. 

1. On the death of Rodolph, the supreme power 
mmained in the hands of Hugh, who, in addition to '„„' 
tiS9 county of Paris, his paternal inheritance, possessed 
the duchies of France and Burgundy. Either disliking the 
title of king, or dreading the jealousy of the nobles, Hugh a 
second time refused the crown, and invited Louis, the son 
of Charles, to return from his place of refuge in England, 
5 D 



60 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

and assume the reins of government. 2. Athelstan dreading 
some treachery, endeavoured to dissuade his nephew from 
compliance; but the young prince was eager to return to his 
country, and the character of Hugh removed all grounds of 
apprehension. Louis, surnamed (VOutremer^ or the Stranger, 
was received on his landing with the greatest respect; Hugh 
conducted him to Rheims, where he was crowned by the title 
of Louis IV. 3. Louis was superior to his predecessors in 
ability and courage, but he was destitute of honour and in- 
tegrity, deficiencies which made all his other qualities ineflec- 
tual. Hugh had indeed invited Louis to return, but had not 
the slightest intention of giving up the administration. The 
king made an attempt to obtain the reins of power, but Hugh 
then became his enemy, placed him under restraint, and did 
not restore his liberty until he had ceded the county of Laon, 
which was almost the only part of the royal domains that re- 
mained unappropriated. 

4. Hugh had been excommunicated by several councils, 
and even by the pope : the clergy, and especially tlie bishops 
of Lorraine, consequently embraced the cause of Louis, and 
thus originated a war which continued for several years. 
The principal ally of Hugh in this conflict was William 
Longue epee, duke of Normandy, one of the bravest nobles 
of the time. 5. The count of Flanders adopted the royal 
cause, and having a private quarrel with the duke of Nor- 
mandy, procured him to be assassinated under circumstances 
of the greatest treachery. William left a young son named 
Richard, whom Louis brought to court under pretence of un- 
dertaking the care of his education. 6. The count of Flan- 
ders instigated the king to murder the orphan, but by a strata- 
gem of Osmond, his governor, the young prince was rescued 
from their grasp, and placed under the protection of his ma- 
ternal uncle, the count de Senlis. Soon after these 
Q^y transactions Louis was made a prisoner by the count 
de Senlis, and could not obtain his freedom until he 
had restored several places in Normandy, which he had un- - 
justly seized on. Richard was at length established in hia 
dukedom ; he was a good and a pious prince, equally con- 
spicuous for his personal graces and moral qualifications. 
The Norman historians called him Richard Sans Peur^ or 
the Fearless, and relate many anecdotes of his piety, charily, 
and intrepidity. 

7. Louis d'Outremer died in the thirty-third year of his 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 5J 

age, by a fall from his horse, leaving behind him two 
sons, Lothaire and Charles. Lothaire was only four- q^-j' 
teen years old when he began to reign, but the go- 
vernment was so well administered by his mother and her 
brother, St. Bruno, that for three years France enjoyed a pro- 
found tranquillity. Hugh the Great died two years after 
Louis, and his son Hugh Capet inherited both his wealth and 
his ambition. 8. Lorraine, an ancient fief of the French 
crown, had been seized on by the German emperor, and Otho, 
to secure the possession, bestowed it as a iief on Charles the 
brother of Lothaire. This arrangement equally displeased 
the French king and the people ; Lothaire was indignant at 
the loss of the province, and the nation considered their 
honour degraded by one of their princes becoming tributary 
to a foreign power. 9. Lothaire, without waiting to publish 
a declaration of war, invaded the dominions of Otho, and 
nearly made the young emperor a prisoner at Aix-la-Chapelle ; 
so completely was he surprised, that he was obliged to rise 
from the table where he was sitting at diiuier and trust to the 
ileetness of his horse for escape. Lothaire stripped the palace 
at Aix-la-Chapelle of every thing valuable, and returned to 
Paris laden with booty. 10. Otho in turn invaded France, 
and advanced to the very gates of Paris, but Hugh Capet had 
so well secured the town, that Otho was compelled to vent 
his rage in empty menaces. 11. On his return, Otho had to 
cross the river Aisne, but as his army arrived on the banks 
late in the day, the emperor and a part of the army only could 
pass ovev ; during the nigiit the water rose so considerably 
that the "second division were unable to ford the stream. In 
this situation they were attacked by Lothaire, and Otho had 
the mortification of witnessing the defeat of his army, with- 
out being able to afford them any assistance. At length he 
sent over the count of Ardennes in a small skiff, to challenge. 
Lothaire to single combat : the French nobles would not per- 
mit this challenge to be accepted, declaring that they did not 
wish to lose their own king, and that under no circumstances 
would they recognise Otho as a sovereign. 

12. Peace was eventually concluded between the 
rival monarchs, and soon after Lothaire died. His son qqq' 
and successor, Louis V. survived him but a few months, 
and Charles, duke of Lorraine, was now the sole survivor of 
the race of Charlemagne. But the character of Charles was 
jdious to the French people, his acceptance of Lorraine as a 



52 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

fief of the empire was looked on as an act of treason agamat 
his country ; the nation therefore rejected him, and chose as 
their monarch Hugh Capet, count of Paris, whose family, like 
the ancient mayors of the palace^ had long been the real sove- 
reigns of France. 

13. Before entering on the history of a new dynasty, it 
will be useful to take a view of the state of society during 
the period whose history we have just completed ; because 
there were many institutions originated in those dark ages, 
which long exercised a powerful influence over the whole of" 
Europe. Those which more particularly demand our atten- 
tion are the usurpations of the church, the establishment of 
the feudal system, and the institution of chivalry. The in- 
crease of power acquired by the clergy during the reigns of 
Charlemagne's successors, was for the most part owing to 
their being the sole depositaries of learning. Ignorance had 
risen to such a height in the West, that few persons except 
the monks could either read or write. Hence they brought 
under their cognizance some of the most important relations 
of life, and became the registrars and judges in all matters 
connected with contracts, marriages, and wills. This pro- 
duced a mixture of civil and ecclesiastical law, which created 
the most fatal confusion among all ranks, while it opened to 
the clergy new sources of wealth and power. 14. In mar- 
riage especially their interference was productive of many 
serious evils. Under the first Christian emperors marriage 
had always been considered as a civil contract, and as such 
subjected to the control of the general legislature ; but the 
clergy averred that marriage was a sacrament, and, therefore, 
could only be regulated by ecclesiastical authority. They 
formed new obstacles of consanguinity and affinity, which 
they carried to such a length that people scarcely knew where 
to find a lawful wife; for there was none within the seventh 
degree. As the popes assumed a special right of determining 
on this important subject, and of granting dispensations, they 
obtained a power of interfering in the domestic concerns of 
princes, which they frequently perverted to the worst of 
purposes. 

15. Religion was overwhelmed with a multitude of cere- 
monies ; pilgrimages, the procuring of relics, offerings, anj 
egacies to the church, were represented as of more value and 
importance than piety and virtue ; nay, were even considered 
as an expiation of the most atrocious crimes. The censure? 



THE CARLOVINGIAN RACE. 53 

of the church, which in a purer age had been used to check 
tiansgressions, were now made the instruments of party ven- 
geance. The priesthood, originally designed to bless, was 
more employed in cursing; excommunications were inflicted 
according to the dictates of policy or revenge, and hurled 
against nobles or princes whom the prelates were anxious 
either to plunder or enslave. 

10. The manners of the clergy themselves were a scandal 
to religion. Scarcely were they acquainted with common 
decency. Debauchery and vice spread their sway over the 
entire ecclesiastical body, and not unfrequently found their 
way to the papal throne. The possessions of the church 
were openly exposed to sale, and ecclesiastical dignities were 
either the purchase of bribery, or the reward of violence. 
The sovereigns were unable to restrain these excesses, for the 
clergy asserted their independence of every civil tribunal ; in 
many instances they appealed to the pope to remedy these 
evils, and thus afforded precedents for papal interference, which 
khey afterwards had reason to lament. 

17. But the great source of the power which the popes 
soon after obtained, and the great support of their subsequent 
influence, arose from the creation of several new monastic 
orders. The monastic reformation of Clugny took its rise 
about the beginning of the tenth century, and its progress was 
amazingly rapid. The monks of this order, distinguished for 
their piety and austerity, seemed, in an age of general de- 
pravity, like angels sent from heaven to save the human race. 
They soon triumphed over all the ancient orders, as well as 
the secular clergy ; but the wealth that had corrupted their 
predecessors, proved equally fatal to their virtues. The court 
of Rome lavished upon them unheard-of privileges ; exempt- 
ing them from every jurisdiction except their own, and bind- 
ing them to her interest by every imaginable tie. In return 
they exalted every where the power of the popes ; besides 
being accustomed from their youth to obey the commands of 
a superior with the same implicit submission as the mandates 
of Heaven, they were easily led to suppose that the head of 
the church was invested with unbounded authority. Thus, 
in the subsequent age, did religion serve more than ever as a 
pretext for the greatest excesses : it entered into all afiairs o*" 
importance, and was the primary spring of all events. It is, 
therefore, necessary to be acquainted with the errors and 
sbuses by which it was corrupted ; for at that time theology 
5* 



54 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

mingled with all political transactions, and seemed to hare 
absorbed tlie mental powers of mankind, who certainly were 
never so little acquainted either with politics or religion. 

18. The establishment of the feudal system made the 
nobles independent sovereigns in their respective districts; 
the greater part were tyrants in their own domains, and rob- 
bers in those of others. Hence arose innumerable private 
wars which kept the country in continual anarchy, and the 
very remedies applied to cure the evil, were sources 
. ■ ' of fresh calamity. 19. The bishops, to check these 
enormities, published what they called " The Truce 
of God,''^ enacting, that from Wednesday evening until Mon- 
day morning, no act of violence should be committed, under 
paiti of fine and excommunication. But this was found too 
severe a law, and the truce was subsequently shortened to the 
interval between sunset on Saturday and sunrise on Monday; 
so that during all the rest of the week, murder and robbery 
might seem to be authorized. 

20. The institution of chivalry served in some degree to 
alleviate these horrors. Romantic notions of honour, and an 
extravagant devotion to the fair sex, however absurd ia 
modern times, were a check to many extravagances in an age 
of violence. And when justice in courts of law was impos- 
sible to be obtained, the existence of a body of men sworn 
to redress wrongs, and defend innocence, could not have been 
wholly destitute of utility. It must be confessed, however, 
that chivalry tended to keep alive the love of war, and a thirst 
for military adventure, which, in a subsequent age, caused 
those calamitous wars, the crusades ; but it also introduced a 
spirit of generosity which often softened the horrors of wai 
by noble instances of magnanimity and humanity. 



Questions. 

1. By whom was Rodolpb succeeded ? 

2. How was Louis received in France ? 

3. What was his character ? 

4. By what ally was Hugh Capet supported ? 

5. How was William slain ? 

6. By what means was the young duke of Normandy rescued 

from his enemies ? 

7. Who succeeded Louis d Outremers? 

8. How did Charles displease the French nation? 



THE CAKLOVINGIAN RACE. 55 

9. What danger did tlie German emperor escape ? 

10. How far was Otho successful in his invasion of France? 

11. How was his army defeated ? 

12. What circumstances gave the crown of France to the family 

of Capet? 

13. What was the state of the church during this age ? 

14 How were the laws respecting marriage a means of in- 
creasing the power of the clergy? 
l&. Was the power of excommunication abused? 

16. Were the manners of the clergy corrupt? 

17. What institution particularly strengthened the papal power? 

18. What evils resulted from the independence of the noblei 

under the feudal system? 

19. What was the Truce of God? 

20. What effect had the institution of chivalry ? 




Ship of the Tenth Century. 



56 



HISTORY OF FRANCE, 




Hugh Capet. 



CHAPTER VII. 

rBOM THE ACCESSION OF HUGH CAPET TO THE FIRST 
CRUSADE. 



Ill bap attend 
That worst of traitors, a perfidious friend! 
Loyal in guise, his serpent-coil he winds 
Round the frank singleness of noble minds. 



Wai 



A. D. 



1. The abilities of Hugh Capet did not rise above 
tX^* the standard of mediocrity, but he possessed a great 
share of strong sound sense, and that practical know- 
Wge which is commonly called worldly wisdom. Perceiving 
the vast influence of the clergy, he gained them over to his 
side by renouncing the rich abbeys which his father had pos- 
sessed, and through their means spread a report, that St. 
liiquier, whose shrine he had visited barefoot, had made him 
a promise of the crown. In an assembly held at Noyons he 
was formally elected king, and was immediately after confe- 
erated at Rheims. 



HUGH CAPET. 57 

2. Charles of Lorraine did not endure his exclusion pa- 
tiently ; but as he was unable to cope with his adversary in 
the field, he had recourse to treachery and fraud. Arnolph, 
the illegitimate son of his brother Lothaire, was a priest at 
Laon ; through his means, Charles being admitted into the 
town, took possession of the palace of his ancestors, and was 
proclaimed king by the old retainers of his family. Ancelin, 
bishop of Laon, took a prominent part in these transactions, 
and thus acquired the confidence of Charles, whom he had 
previously determined to betray. 3. Capet, alarmed at the 
progress of his rival, endeavoured to detach Arnolph from his 
interest, and accordingly raised him to the archbishopric of 
Rheims. But Arnolph proved ungrateful to his benefactor; 
he admitted Charles into Rheims, but to save appearances, 
required the prince of Lorraine to send iiim as a prisoner to 
Laon. 4. Hugh at length levied an army, and formed the 
siege of Laon, but his forces were defeated by an unexpected 
sally of the enemy, and he was compelled to retreat. Pros- 
perity was ruinous to Charles ; believing that the rais- 
ing of the siege of Laon left him in perfect security, qqr>' 
he gave himself up to ease and enjoyment. This was 
the opportunity which Ancelin 'had long expected ; he in- 
vited Hugh to approach the town, opened the gates to him 
during the night, and made iiim master of the persons both 
of Charles and his queen. They both died in confinement, 
leaving behind them two sons, who were born in prison, and 
two daughters, who, having remained in Germany, escaped 
the captivity of their parents. 5. The sons of Charles ap- 
pear to have been taken under the protection of the emperor 
of Germany, and to have resigned all claims to the throne of 
France. A descendant of one of the daughters was married 
to Philip Augustus, and through her the late royal family 
of France claim to be descended from Charlemagne. 6. The 
trial of Arnolph soon after this engaged the attention of the 
state. His partisans maintained that this cause ought to be 
carried before the pope, but the Bishop of Orleans strenuously 
maintained the contrary, and persuaded the council to adopt 
the same opinion. The king came in person to pass sen- 
tence, when Arnolph threw himself at his feet, promising 
obedience for tiie future. His life was spared, but he was 
de;prived of his see, and the celebrated Gerbert appointed in 
his stead. 7. Gerbert had been originally the son of a pea 
Rant, afterwards he became a monk at Aurillac, and soon ou* 



58 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



Stripped all his brethren in literature and science. The envy 
of the other monks compelled him to quit his convent, he 
passed into Spain, and there studied mathematics and natural 
philosophy among the Arabians. The fame that he acquired 
in these pursuits, made him suspected by the vulgar as a 
magician, but recommended him also to the emperor of Ger- 
many and the king of France, as a fit tutor for their children. 
8. The fortune and merit of the new archbishop made him 
an object of envy to the French prelates ; they appealed to 
the court of Rome against Arnolph's deprivation, because the 
consent of the pope had not been previously obtained. The 
pope sent a legate into France, and Hugh, who dreaded a 
quarrel with his holiness, was compelled to deprive Gerbert 
and restore Arnolph. 9. But the fortune of both was only 
changed in appearance ; Arnolph was detained in prison, but 
Gerbert obtained the archbishopric of Ravenna from his 
former pupil, Otho III., emperor of Germany, and eventually 
became pope under the title of Silvester JI. 

10. Hugh died in 
QQ * the tenth year of his 
reign, and was suc- 
ceeded by his son, Robert I., 
surnamed the Pious, whom 
the old French historians 
describe as a saint, and the 
moderns as an idiot ; to a 
weak intellect, he united a 
scrupulous and ignorant de- 
votion, which exposed him 
to the artifices of an ambi- 
tious and enterprising clergy 
11. He married Bertha, 
daughter of Conrad, duke of 
Burgundy, who was equally 
distinguished by her good 
temper and beautiful person. 
Unfortunately, she was fourth cousin to the king, a degree 
prohibited by the canons of the Romish church ; and though 
several French bishops had assented to tlie marriage. Pope 
Gregory V. undertook to annul it. 12. Accordingly, without 
even hearing the parties, he issued a decree, ordering the king 
and queen to separate under pain of excommunication, and 
suspending all the bishops who had been accomplices in their 




Robert the Pious. 



HUGH CAPET. 59 

pretended crime. Robert, passionately attached to liis wife, 
made no haste to comply, but reckoned himself as excommu- 
nicated. 13. Such was the superstition of the period, that he 
was immediately forsaken by all his courtiers; only two do- 
mestics continued their services, and even they cleansed with 
lire the plates used at table by the king, believing that they 
were polluted by his sacrilegious touch. 

14. Robert, worn out by importunity, and dreading a revolt, 
at length consented to a divorce, and Bertha retired to a con- 
vent. The king's next marriage was with Constance, daugh- 
ter of the count of Aries ; a woman of insatiable ambition, 
proud, cruel, fond of expense, and totally devoted to pleasure, 
Robert found his court insupportable, he gave himself up en- 
tirely to the monks, and spent his time in the practice of 
superstitious austerities ; while the queen, with her train of 
troubadours and young Proven9al nobles, filled the palace 
with noisy festivity. 15. About this time, the news 
of the cruelties practised on the Christians of Palestine , „' ' 
by the Saracens excited the indignation of all Europe. 
Pope Silvester II. preached up a crusade, but ineflectually, and 
the wrath of Christendom was vented on the Jews. These 
unfortunate people, whose persecution in the middle ages 
was almost considered a virtue, were suspected of acting as 
spies for the Saracens, and on this vague suspicion numbers 
were ruthlessly massacred. 

] 6. Henry, duke of Burgundy, brother to Hugh Capet, 
dying without issue, Otho William, his wife's son by a former 
husband, took possession of his dominions. Robert, conceiv- 
ing that his own claim to the duchy was superior, proceeded 
to assert it by force of arms. As he was not a warrior him- 
self, he summoned to his aid the duke of Normandy; and 
having by his means assembled a considerable army, he laid 
siege to Auxerre. Near the town was an abbey sacred to 
Saint Germain, which it was necessary to storm previous to 
the assault of the garrison. When the royal troops were 
about to advance to the attack, a priest met the king, and 
warned him not to violate the sanctuary of the saint; while 
he was yet speaking, a mist rose from a neighbouring river, 
superstition magnified this common event into a miraculous 
appearance ; the soldiers exclaimed that the saint had come 
to defend his temple, and took to flight with their king at 
then head. After this strange termination of the first cam- 
r>a!gn, the war lingered a few months longer ; it eventually 



60 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



erminated by William's resigning the dukedom to the kinjj, 
but retaining all the power and real advantages of sovereignty 
under the hvjmbler title of count of Burgundy. 

17. Robert's eldest son died young; the second was ao 
idiot, and Henry was therefore chosen by Robert as his suc- 
cessor. This arrangement was opposed by Constance, who 
endeavoured to secure the crown for her younger son Robert 
the strict friendship that existed between the brothers, and 
the unexpected firmness of Robert, defeated her intrigues: 
she, however, succeeded so far as to fill the royal 
lo'si ^'^"^'^y ^^'"-^ quarrels and disunion. The inglorious 
* reign of Robert terminated in the sixtieth vear of his 
age ; on his return from a pilgrimage he was seized with a 
violent fever at Melun, which soon ended his life. 

18. Henry I. was about 
twenty years of age when he 
succeeded to the throne; 
Constance and Robert op- 
posed his accession, but by 
the aid of the duke of Nor- 
mandy he triumphed over all 
opposition. Constance retired 
to a convent, where she soon 
after died ; as the king be- 
lieved that his brother's hos- 
tility had arisen more from 
the persuasion of his mothei 
than his own inclinations, he 
not only restored him to his 
confidence, but gave him the 
province of Burgundy. 19. 
The most remarkable circum- 
stance in the reign of this 
prince is, that he took for his 
second wife Anne, daughter of Jarodislas, czar of Muscovy. 
The obstacles to marriage were so greatly multiplied, and the 
example of his father so terrifying, that he thought it expe- 
dient to send for a wife into a country then almost unknown, 
rather than encounter the dangers of an excommunication. 
20. The evils that had arisen from the disorders of the clergy 
dnd the feuds of the nobles, appear to have reached their 
height. Hildebrand, who was afterwards pope under the name 
of Gregory VII., laboured strenuously and successfully to sub- 




Henry 1. 



HUGH CAPET. 61 

ject all Europe to the despotism of the church ; he virtually 
ruled the holy see long before his election to the papal throne, 
and directed all his efforts to subject monarchs and emperors 
to the papacy. The private wars of the nobles were more 
like those of princes than subjects, and during the reign of 
Henry, several pitched battles were fought, attended with un- 
usual slaughter. 

21. Henry at his death left three sons, of whom 
Philip, the eldest, was only seven years old. Pur- -.nnn 
suant to the will of the late king, the regency was en- 
trusted to Baldwin, earl of Flanders, who took better care of 
the monarchy than of the monarch. Philip was permitted 
to grow up uneducated, the slave of uncontrolled passions 
and unregulated desires. 22. In his fourteentli year he was 
freed from all restraint by the death of his guardian, and soon 
after was involved in a war with Robert, count of Friezland. 
Philip was compelled to make peace with the count, and aa 
one of the conditions, was obliged to marry Robert's step- 
mother. The king was by no means pleased with the match, 
and after some years divorced her on the plea of con- 
sanguinity. 23. He then enticed from her husband, i/^qo 
Bertrade, the wife of Fulk, count of Anjou, and openly 
married her in spite of every remonstrance. Pope Urban II., 
after many ineffectual threats, excommunicated Philip; the 
monarch took no notice of the proceeding, but continued to 
live with Bertrade, deriving new hopes from the death of his 
former wife, and from the consent of Fulk, who bore the loss 
of his faithless spouse with great patience. 

24. The conquests of the Saracens in the east, and 
♦specially the capture of Jerusalem, had alarmed the i^q/ 
emperor of Constantinople for his safety; in an evil 
hour he wrote to the pope, soliciting him to stir up the west- 
ern princes to form a league against the Saracens. The con- 
sequence of the papal exertions was the Crusades, or Holy 
Wars, but before we enter on the history of that eventful 
period, it is necessary to give some account of the province 
of Normandy, from which England had about this time r&- 
reived a new race of sovereigns. 



Questions. 

1. What was the character of Hugh Capet f 

2. By whom was His accession opposea 7 

6 



62 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



3. How did Arnolph behave in tl s civil war? 

4. How did the contest terminate? 

5. Why did the last race of French monarchs boast to be de 

scended from Charlemagne ? 

6. What was done to Arnolph? 

7. By whom was he succeeded in his bishopric ■* 

8. Did the clergy acquiesce in this arrangement? 

9. To what eminence did Gerbert subsequently rise? 

10. By whom was Hugh Capet succeeded ? 

11. To whom was Robert married? 

12. How did the pope proceed in annulling the marriage? 

13. What proves the excessive superstition of the age? 

14. To whom was Robert subsequently wedded? 

15. What unfortunate people were bitterly persecuted at thil 

time ? 

16. What strange event occurred at the siege of Auzerre? 

17. How did Robert's queen excite disunion in the royal family ? 

18. By whom was the accession of Henry opposed? 

19. Is there any thing remarkable in his marriage? 

20. What pope made the greatest efforts to obtain universal do 

minion ? 

21. How was Philip educated? 

22. To whom was he first married ? 

23. In what manner did he obtain his second wife ? 

84. What remarkable wars commenced about this time ? 




HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 



63 




fin Ship in which William the Conqueror sailed to England. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 

O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea, 
Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free, 
Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam, 
Survey our empire and behold our home. 

Bmow 



I The nations who successively invaded southern Europ« 
ifom the ninth to the twelfth centuries, were originally de- 
scended from the same stock ; but when, by conquest, they 
had obtained a settlement in any country, they gradually 
adopted the arts of the vanquished, and laid aside their habits 
of plunder for the more useful pursuits of agriculture. The 
next horde of invaders refused to acknowledge these degene- 
rate warriors as their countrymen, and inflicted on them the 
same calamities which they had caused the original inhabi 
tents to suffer. The Saxons in Britain, the Goths and Frank? 



64 HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 

in Gaul, found in the Danes or Normans the avengers of thi; 
cruelties which they had previously practised on the Celtic 
population. The severe persecution of the Saxons by Char- 
lemagne induced many of their bravest warriors to fly into 
Scandinavia; their representation of the cruelties practised on 
the worshippers of Odin, stimulated their brethren of the 
north to prepare for revenge, and we have already seen that 
even in the reign of Charlemagne, the northern shores of 
France were devastated by Scandinavian pirates. 

2. The invasion of Rollo, in the reign of Charles 

AT) . . 

q", * the Simple, was the last of their plundering expedi- 
tions ; by an agreement with that monarch, who was 
anxious to save his country from devastation, and to secure 
for himself an active body of partisans, the province of Neus- 
tria, and the hand of the king's daughter, were given to Rollo, 
who thenceforward took the title of Robert I., duke of Nor- 
mandy. The remains of the Celtic Gauls, who had been 
cruelly oppressed by the Franks, gladly submitted to the 
equitable administration of Rollo, and the number of his sub- 
jects was continually increased by parties of the aboriginal 
natives, who sought, under a new master, relief from the op- 
pression of their former conquerors. 3. But the Normans 
were not so successful in obtaining the affections of the inha- 
bitants of Brittany, whom Charles, unable to subdue himself, 
had transferred to his new allies. This province, situated at 
the north-western extremity of Gaul, was known to the 
Romans by the name of Armorica ; it was inhabited by the 
bravest Celtic tribes, and had successfully resisted most of the 
invaders who had seized on the rest of Gaul. 4. When the 
Saxons had established their dominion in Britain, many of the 
ancient inhabitants removed to Armorica, with the consent 
of the ancient inhabitants, who acknowledged them as brethren 
of tlie same origin ; the new settlers distributed themselves 
Dver the whole northern coast, as far as the territory of the 
Veneti, now called Vannes. The name of Brittany waS 
thenceforth given to this province. The increase of the 
population of this western corner of the country, and the great 
number of people of the Celtic race and language thus assem- 
bled within a narrow space, preserved them from the irruption 
of the Roman tongue, which, under a form more or less cor- 
rupt, had gradually become prevalent in every other part of 
Saul. 5" Remembering the evils that had forced them to 
become exiles the Bretons had a vehement dislike of all 



HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 65 

/breign rule, and under every change of fortune, were eager 
to seize an opportunity for asserting their independence. 
6. Under the command of their Tierns, or Counts, as the 
Normans called them, Alan and Berenger, they made a des- 
perate resistance to Robert, and were with difficulty subdued. 
The conqueror appears to have exercised his victory with 
moderation, and to have been contented with receiving homage 
from the leaders as their feudal suzerain. 

7. The conduct of the Norman duke, and his successors 
m their dominions, is honourably contrasted with that of 
their contemporaries. Robert gave his subjects a charter, 
provided for the due administration of justice, and encouraged 
strangers to settle in his dominions. The historians describe 
the tranquillity and security of Normandy during his reign, 
by assuring us that ornaments of gold and silver were ex- 
posed unguarded on the highways without any danger 
of their being carried off by robbers. 8. Robert re- q.^' 
signed the crown to his son William, called Longue- 
epee, or Long-sword, and spent the remaining three years of 
his life in retirement. 

9. .An insurrection of the Bretons, and a more formidable 
rebellion of the Normans, broke out during the first years of 
William's reign ; but by united valour and prudence he sup- 
pressed both, and treading in the steps of his father, applied 
himself diligently to the improvement of his dominions. 
The Danes maintained a friendly intercourse with the con- 
querors of Normandy ; and when Harold, king of Denmark, 
was dethroned by his rebellious son Svveyn, he sought refuge 
in the Norman court, and owed his restoration to the friend- 
ship and valour of William. 10. To succour unfor- 
tunate princes, seems to have been the fated employ- '' 
ment of the Norman duke. When Hugh, count of 
Paris, endeavoured to deprive Louis d'Outremer of the throne, 
William exerted his utmost efforts in behalf of the rightful 
sovereign of France, and was the principal means of securing 
him on the throne. With similar generosity, he embraced 
the cause of Herbin, count of Montreuil, whom his treacher- 
ous neighbour Arnold, count of Flanders, had expelled from 
his dominions. William defeated the usurper in a decisive 
engagement, and rejected every reward which the restored 
nobleman offered to him. 11. But this expedition was the 
cause of his death. Arnold, enraged at his defeat, resolved 
6* E 



66 HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 



A. D. 
942. 



to err.ploy treachery, since open force had failed ; he 
solicited an interview with William in one of the is- 
lands of the Somme, and having craftily separated the 
duke from his attendants, caused him to be assassinated. 

12. Richard I. was but a child at the time of his father's 
death, but the administration of affairs was undertaken by 
four Norman nobles, of whom Bernard, count of Harcourt, 
commonly called Bernard the Dane, was the chief Louis, 
who owed his crown to William, ungratefully conspired with 
Hugh, count of Paris, to strip his son of his dominions 
With this design he entered Normandy, at the head of a nu- 
merous army, pretending that his intention was merely to 
avenge the murder of the late duke : but after he had been 
received as a friend at Rouen, he seized on the person of the 
young duke, and sent him off to Paris under the pretence of 
having him properly educated. 13. At the instigation of the 
count of Flanders, Louis designed the assassination of Richard, 
but he was rescued from the danger by the ffdelity of his tutor 
Osmond. This faithful attendant went to the castle of Laon, 
where his young master was confined, and under pretence of 
going to feed his horse, conveyed him out of the castle en- 
veloped in a truss of hay. They directed their course to the 
residence of the Count de Senlis, Richard's maternal uncle, 
and reached their place of refuge in safety. 14. Meantime 
the gratitude of a prince whom William had benefited, was 
about to be displayed by the restoration of his son to his do- 
minions. Bernard, count of Harcourt, had successfully ex- 
erted himself to sow disunion between the French king and 
the count of Paris ; he had also sent a secret message to 
Harold, king of Denmark, informing him of the state of 
affairs, and entreated him to aid in the deliverance of Nor- 
mandy from the dominion of the French. Harold came at 
the first summons ; the Normans, headed by Bernard, has- 
tened to join him, and Louis, unable to compete with their 
united forces in the field, solicited an interview to settle the 
terras of peace. While the two kings were discussing the 
articles, a Norman, recognising the count of Montreuil in tht 
hostile army, bitterly reproached him with his ingratitude, 
and, when he made a haughty reply, a Dane that was present 
struck him dead. This became the signal for a general en- 
gagement, which commenced before the two kings had heard 
of the transaction. The French were totally defeated, and 
Louis made prisoner ; his captors treated him with great re« 



HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 6? 

spect, but he was obliged to restore Normandy to the young 
duke, and pay a heavy ransom before he could obtain his 
liberty. 15. Richard was surnamed Sans Peur, or the Fear- 
less; he inherited all the noble qualities of his race, and 
thouo-h surrounded by powerful enemies, preserved his domi- 
nions secure and tranquil. His marriage with the daughter 
of Hugh the Great alarmed the fears of Louis ; he entered 
into an alliance with Olho, emperor of Germany, Conrad, 
king of Burgundy, and Arnold, count of Flanders, to over- 
whelm both Hugh and Richard. But the eflbrts of the allies 
were every where unfortunate : unable to make any impres- 
sion on Paris, they directed their march towards Normandy, 
where Richard cut off some of their best soldiers in an am- 
buscade, and repulsed them from before the walls of Rouen 
with loss and disgrace. 

16. On the death of Hugh the Great, Richard was ap- 
pointed guardian to his children, and by his fidelity in the 
execution of that office, again provoked the hostility of the 
French monarch. After a long struggle, in which the Nor- 
mans were every where successful, Richard triumphed over 
the treachery and the forces of his opponents, and compelled 
them to beg a peace. Some years after, Hugh Capet, ^^ ^ 
aided by his former guardian, obtained the throne of gg^* 
France, and thus changed that from a hostile Into a 
friendly country. The rest of Richard's reign was spent in 
profound peace, and at his death Normandy was one of the 
most flourishing countries in Europe. 17. Richard H., sur- 
named the good and intrepid, succeeded. Tiie early part 
of his reign was disturbed by an insurrection of the peasantry, 
and by the rebellion of his natural brother, the count de 
Hiemes. Richard having quelled his adversaries, shut up his 
brother in a prison, where he remained five years. ^^ ^ 
Having at length made his escape, he suddenly pre- jqq3^ 
sented himself before Richard, while he was hunting, 
in a squalid dress, and earnestly solicited forgiveness. The 
duke generously granted him his pardon, and restored all his 
former possessions. 18. The throne of England was at this 
time possessed by Ethelred, who with difficulty maintained 
himself against the Danes ; to secure a powerful ally, he mar- 
ried Emma, sister to the duke of Normandy; but no aid that 
he could obtain was sufficient to repel the invasion of Sweyn, 
the Daoish monarch ; and Ethelred, compelled to abandon 
bis kingdom, lived for some time in exile at the court of his 



68 HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 

brother-in-law. 19. The king of France, having united with 
some of the princes who bordered on Normandy, Richard 
found himself unable to resist the coalition alone, and soli- 
cited the aid of the Danes. A numerous army was sent to 
his assistance, but he found that his allies were more injurious 
to his cause than even his enemies. The king of France 
having agreed on terms of peace, the Danes, enraged at losing 
the prospect of plunder, turned their arms against Brittany, 
where they committed the most frightful outrages. Richard 
was obliged to purchase their departure with a large sum of 
money, and from this time forward, the intercourse between 
Denmark and Normandy appears to have declined. 20. So 
great was the duke's character for honour, that Geoffry, count 
of Brittany, with whom he had been often at war, nominated 
the Norman regent of that province, during his absence on a 
pilgrimage. Geoffry was accidentally killed, but Richard 
acted as a faithful guardian to his children, and when they 
came of age, gave them immediate possession of their father's 
territories. 21. On the death of Ethelred, Canute became 
sole monarch of England, and queen Emma, with her two 
children, were compelled to take refuge in the court of her 
brother. Richard prepared to invade England, but his 
- ■ ' fleet being shattered in a storm, he made peace with 

■ Canute, and gave him Emma as his wife. 22. The 
sons of Ethelred seemed by this specification to have lost all 
chance of inheriting the British crown ; but several years 
after, Canute's sons having died without heirs, Edward, sur- 
named the Confessor, returned from exile, and obtained the 
throne of his ancestors, Richard, after a long and successful 
reign, died, leaving behind him two sons, Richard and Robert. 

23. Richard 111. did not long survive his father; after a 
short reign of eighteen months, he died at Rouen, poisoned, 
as is believed, by his brother. 

24. Robert II., surnamed the liberal and magnificent, suc- 
ceeded his brother; the early part of his reign was disturbed 
by insurrections, but he so completely subdued them, that he 

thought he might with safety venture on a pilgrimage 
^ ^' to Palestine. The climate of Asia completely de- 

■ stroyed his health, and he was obliged to complete his 
journey in a litter. Another Norman pilgrim returned from 
the holy city, met Robert, supported by four Saracens ; he 
asked the duke what account he should give of him on his 
return ? " Tell my friends,'' said Robert, " that you saw me 



HISTORY OF NORMANDy. 



69 



borne into Paradise by four devils." He died on his way back 
at Nice, in Bithynia, leaving no legitimate heir. 

25. Before Robert had set out for Palestine, he had nomi- 
nated his natural son William to be his successor, and the 
states of Normandy had confirmed his choice; but when the 
news of his death reached Europe, several of the ducal 
family endeavoured to have William set aside. The states, 
however, obstinately adliered \,d their former decision, and 
William triumphed over all his competitors. 26. These wars 
evidently proved the source of the duke's future prosperity, 
as they supplied him with an army inured to combats, and 
inspirited by repeated success, with which he was enabled to 
take advantage of the opportunities presented him by fortune. 
Sdward the Confessor, on his return to England, became dis- 
justed with his Saxon subjects, and gave himself up to IsCor- 
man favorites. The family of Godwin, Earl of Kent, were 
particularly odious to him, and to prevent their becoming his 
successors, (which, as he had no heirs, appeared very proba- 
ble,) he bequeathed his crown to William, duke of Normandy. 
On the death of Edward, Harold assumed the crown 
of England, but William passing over at the head of ^^^^ 
a gallant army, defeated the English at the decisive 
battle of Hastings, slew Harold, and subjected the whole 




William the Conaueror receiving the Crown of England. 



70 HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 

country to the Norman sway. From henceforward the his- 
tory of Normandy is so intimately connected with that of 
France and England, that it is no longer necessary to treat of 
A separately. 

27. A little before the conquest of England, some Norman 
adve'iturers founded a new kingdom in Italy, under circum- 
stances so extraordinary as to demand some notice 

AD • 

,^.p Forty Norman gentlemen, returning from a pilgrimage 
to Jerusalem, saved the city of Salerno, which was on 
the point of being seized by the Saracens, and refused to re- 
ceive any of the rewards offered to them by the gratitude of 
the inhabitants. The fame of tliis exploit spreading th'-ough 
Italy, induced several of the Italian princes to take into their 
pay troops of Norman adventurers, who were ever ready to 
sell their services. The duke of Naples, to whom they had 
been of great use in his contest with the prince of Capua, 
bestowed upon them a considerable territory, situated between 
the two cities, where they founded the city of Aversa. This 
establishment attracted new adventurers. Three sons of Tan- 
cred of Hauteville, a gentleman of Normandy, one of whom 
was called JVllliam Fier-a-bras, or Bras-de-Fer (Iron 

AD • • 

. * ^ arm) laid the foundation of a new principality for 
■ their family. After having wrested La Puglia from the 
Catapan, the title of a magistrate acting under the authority 
of the court of Constantinople, they shared the conquest 
with the other officers. Bras-de-fer was elected count of 
La Puglia by his soldiers; he was succeeded by his brothers, 
Drogon and Humphrey, who being afterwards joined by their 
younger brother, Robert Guiscard, soon became formidable to 
the Italians. Leo IX. dreading that these adventurers would 
not respect the property of the church more than that of the 
laity, formed an alliance against the strangers, whom he had 
previously excommunicated. The Normans, who scarcely 
exceeded three thousand men, sent him a most respectful 
message, promising to do him homage for their fiefs ; but the 
pope having refused the ofier, they cut his army in pieces, 
took himself prisoner; but instead of doing him any injury, 
they prostrated themselves before him, and having received 
absolution, restored him to liberty. 

28. What they offered to Leo IX. was accepted by 

1 ■ Q Nicholas II. Robert Guiscard having received from, 
him the investiture of all the conquests which he had 
fained in La Puglia and Calabria, and all that he might afte' 



HISTORY OF NORMANDY. 71 

vvarrls make in those provinces or in Sicily, took the oath of 

feudal fidelity to the pope. With equal vigour and success 
they attacked the forces of the Greek empire in the south of 
Italv, and the Saracens in Sicily, victory followed victory in 
rapid succession, until they had obtained actual possession of 
tliose countries of which the pope had only given thera the 
tmpty titles. Thus powerful vassals were attached to the 
Loly see, valuable rights of lordship were acquired, and new 
iseans of aggrandizement were procured. 



Questions. 

1. What stimulated the Normans to attack France? 

2. How did RoUo acquire and secure IS'ormandy? 

3. Did he meet with any resistance ? 

4. Why did Armorica receive tlie name of Brittany? 

5. What was the character of the Bretons'? 
S. How were they treated by Robert ? 

Was Normandy well governed? 

8. By whom was Robert succeeded ? 

9. In what wars was William Long-sworri engapced 7 

10. What princes did he assist in their misfortunes'? 

11. How did William die? 

i2. To what dangers was young duke Richard exposed? 

13. How was he rescued ? 

14. By whose assistance was he restored to his dominions? 

15. What formidable alliance did Richard defeat? 

16. What caused his second war with France? 

17. Who headed the rebellion against Richard II.? 

18. Did any exiled sovereign take refuge at his court? 

19. What remarkable events occurred during his war with France? 

20. Does any remarkable circumstance prove his high character 

for honour and integrity ? 

21. How was the war between Richard and Canute prevented ' 
22 Did any son of Ethelred reign in England ? 

■23 How did Richard III. die? 
24. Is any curious anecdote told of Robert II.? 
25 By whom was Robert succeeded ? 

26. What circumstances led to the Norman conquest of England J 
87. Did the Normms found any other kingdom ? 
38, Was the ersaioa of a Norman power in Italy aseful to the 
pope? 



IIISTORl OF FRANCE. 




Philip I. 



CHAPTER IX. 

FROM THii > -RST CRUSADE TO THE ACCESSIOPl OP 
PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 



A. D. 



But when on high the sacred standard rose, 
Through al". their veins a brisker current flows, 
New hopes, new strength, inspire the pious throng, 
" 'Tis Hkav£n's high will," they shout, and rush along. 

Miss Porden. 

A. V. ^' ^^ '""^^ "^^ return to the history of France 
1095. A'^'^*'"^'^ Urban II. had excommunicated the king, he 
* did not hesitate to take refuge in France when exposed 
»3 danger by the quarrels between the emperor and the holy 
Bee. He called a council at Clermont, and In a long speech 
recommended to the assembly's notice the state of Palestine, 
exhorting all to take up arms and rescue its sacred soil from 
the infidels. 2. The preaching of Peter the Hermit, an en- 
thusiastic monk of Picardy, who had lately returned from a 



74 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




THE FIRST CRUSADE. 75 

pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and who gave a most pathetic de- 
scription of the calamities to which the pilgrims were exposed, 
had prepared their mintis ; no sooner then did they hear thti 
papal recommendation, than all with one acclaim shouteA 
Deus id vuh, " God wills it." 3. At the same council. Ur- 
ban once more excommunicated Philip, forbade princes to 
give investitures* and ordered that bishops and priests should 
raot for the future do homage to their sovereigns. He next 
travelled from province to province, commanding the people 
everywhere to join the crusades; deposing those bishops 
who had in any way resisted his power, and lavishing privi- 
leges on the monks, who had been found by experience to be 
the most strenuous supporters of the holy see. 

4, The crusading frenzy which seized on France produced 
the most dreadful calamities ; a disorderly rabble, headed by 
Peter the Hermit, and a Norman gentleman called Walter the 
Pennyless, first set out; their numbers exceeded 300,000. 
They displayed their furious zeal on the way, by the mas- 
sacre of Jews, laid waste for subsistence the countries through 
which they passed, and excited against themselves the ven- 
geance of the indignant population. On his arrival at Con- 
stantinople, Peter the Hermit was graciously received by the 
emperor of the east, Alexis Comnenus, who hastened to for- 
ward the march of the rabble who accompanied him, into 
Asia Minor. Nearly all of them perished miserably of hun- 
ger, fatigue, and suffering, before they reached the Holy Land. 
In the regular army that followed under the command of 
Godfre}' of Bouillon, were some of the principal nobles of 
France; among these the most conspicuous were, Hugh de 
Vermandois, brother to the king; Robert of Normandy, son 
of William the Conqueror; Robert, earl of Flanders ; Ste- 
phen, count of Blois, father of king Stephen ; and Ray- 
mond, count of Toulouse. After many vicissitudes, the cru- 
saders captured Jerusalem, July 15th, A. D. 1099, and founded 
a Christian kingdom in Palestine. 5. After this exploit, most 
of the French who survived returned home; but being re- 
proached by their countrymen as deserters of the sacred 
cause, they again set out for Palestine under the command of 
William, duke of Aquitaine. This chieftain, more distin- 

* The right of the king to give the investiture or possession of 
the see to a bishop was always resisted by the popes ; they thought 
that if they permitted any interference of the state in ecclesiastica' 
matters, their own supremacy would be gradually undermined. 



76 



HISTORY ')F FRANCE. 



guished foi his literary talents than political wis'ioin, was 
soon involved in a dispute with the emperor of Constanti- 
nople. 6. The treacherous Greek, in revenge for some insults 
he had received, betrayed the Crusaders to the Sara( ens; they 
were led by false guides into defiles tisat exposed them to be 
attacked at a disadvantage ; in tills situation they were assailed 
by an army of the Saracens, who routed them with great 
"laughter, a few only of the nobles saving themselves by flight. 
7. While the bravest of his subjects were thus uselessly 
wasting their strength in Palestine, Philip continued sunk in 
the lowest debauchery ; he obtained absolution from the pope, 
and went barefooted to a council at Paris with Bertrade, to 
swear that they would live no longer together. The pope's 
legate gave them absolution ; but the condition of repudiating 
Bertrade does not appear to have been insisted on, for the 
king continued to live with her, and had her children de- 
clared capable of inheriting the crown. 

8. Philip died in the fiftieth year of his inglorious 
1 ins '"^•g"* The royal dominions did not at this time ex- 
tend over more than one hundred square miles; but 
the monarchy had reached its lowest, state of debasement, 
and from henceforward began to increase in power and terri- 
tory during every succeeding century. 

9. The accession of Louis 
VI. was hailed by the French 
with delight; he had been 
associated with his father in 
the sovereignty several years 
before, and had given striking 
proofs both of his valour 
and justice, by subduing and 
punishing the lords of Mont- 
I'heri, Montford, and other 
barons who had become cap- 
tains of banditti, and sallied 
out from the towers which 
they had erected along the 
roads, plundering travellers, 
and devastating the cotmtry. 
10. The popularity he had 
thus obtained, exposed him 
to great danger, for Bertrade, 
jealous of his fame, and anxious to secure the crown for h^^r 
own son Philip, gave him a poisonous draught. Thou» S 




/ 

THE FIRST CRUSADE. 7? 

Louis was saved by a skilful physician, he ever after felt the 
injurious effects of it, and his complexion even till his death 
continued pale and sallow. 11. Tiie education of the young 
prince had been shamefully neglected, but his own taste led 
him to cultivate the manly exercises of chivalry, and at the 
same time he acquired those high principles of honour and 
integrity, by which knighthood was distinguished in the 
earlier ages. His great corpulence, which procured him the 
surname h. Gros^ or the Fat, did not render him inactive, and 
the situation of France at the time of his accession, was such 
as to require the most vigorous exertions. 

13. The nobles still continued to act the part of oppres- 
sors, and Louis scarcely subdued one ere he was compelled 
to march against another; however he persevered, and though 
his half-brother Philip joined with some of the factious nobles, 
he finally prevailed in restoring something like social 

order to tiie distracted country. 13. A few years j/iq 
after Louis was engaged with a more powerful foe. 
Henry L of England had seized on the duchy of Normandy, 
shut up his brother Robert, the rightful duke, in prison, and 
compelled Robert's son, William, to seek for safety in the 
court of France. Louis undertook to restore William to his 
dominions the more readily, because Henry had lately erected 
the strong castle of Gesors on the frontiers of Normandy, and 
had thus become formidable to the French monarchy. A 
battle was fought at Brenneville, in which the English were 
victorious, but there was not much blood shed, as both 

. - ■ A. D. 

parties were anxious to take their enemies alive for . .* ,' 
the sake of their ransom. This was the first battle 
''ought between two nations whose subsequent hostility has 
shed so much blood. 

14. Henry I. of England, was a more clever politician than 
his gallant rival, and he contrived to involve Louis in a qiiar* 
rel with Henry V. of Germany. Pope Calixtus V. had been 
•iriven out of Italy by the emperor, and compelled to take 
'efuge in France. The pope assembled a council at Rheims, 
iiid thundered out an excommunication against the emperor, 
who on his part resolved to destroy the town where so gross 
in insult had been offered to him. 15. The king of France 
unfurled the orijlamme* the several vassals of the crown 

* The oriflainme, or sacred banner of France, was reported to 
have descended from heavep, in honour either of Clovis or Charle- 
magne. It 'vas, according to Mailly, a square banner of flame- 

7* 



78 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

flocked to the sacred standard, and he soon found himself at 
the head of 200,000 men. The emperor did not venture to 
come to an engagement, but quickly repassed the Rhine with 
all his forces. Louis wished to take advantage of these cir- 
cumstances and invade Normandy, but his nobles refused to 
join in the expedition, dreading that the precedent of punish- 
ing a disobedient vassal might at some future period be turned 
•jgainst themselves. 

16. The death of his eldest son in the prime of 
, 'j.* life, by a fall from his horse, was the source of bitter 
affliction to Louis ; he never afterwards took the same 
interest in public affairs ; and when he had procured the co- 
ronation of his second son Louis, he seemed to devote 

AD 

1 1"^7 ^^i™^^!^ entirely to the affairs of another world. 17 
On his death-bed he addressed his son in words that 
cannot too often be repeated to a sovereign : " Remember, 
my son, that a kingdom is a public trust, for the exercise of 
which you must render a strict account after your death." 
18. This reign is distinguished by several useful establish- 
ments, especially by that of communes,, which were some- 
thing like our corporations. To check the extravagant 
power of the nobility, whose excesses the royal power was 
unable to restrain, the king sold permission to several of the 
cities and towns to form associations for mutual protection, 

coloured taffeta, without figures or embroidery, but with three deep 
indentures at the bottom ; and suspended from a gilded lance. 
Hence was derived its compound name; or, alluding to the gilded 
staff, 3.i\d fiamme, signifying both the colour of the silk and the shape 
of the banner. It was always raised when the king intended to 
summon the aid of all his vassals. When displayed in the battle- 
field, it was a signal that no quarter would be given. The folly of 
the age attributed many fabled virtues to this banner, and it was 
oelieved that its presence would ensure victory. The falsehood of 
•-his, however, was fatally proved at Crecy. Nothing can more de- 
cidedly mark the respect in which the orifiamme was held, than 
;he oath administered to its bearer: — 

"You swear and promise, on the precious body of Christ JesiiSi 
here present, and on the bodies of Monseignenr St. Denis and hii 
.lompanions, here also, that you will loyally, in your own person, 
guard and govern the oriflamme of our lord the king, also present, 
to the honour and profit of himself and hi^ kingdom, and that you 
will not abandon it for the fear of death or any other cause, but 
that you will in all things do your duty, as becomes a good aid loy«i 
inight, towards your sovereign and liege lord." 



THE FIRST CRUSADE. 



79 



and to choose their own magistrates. This example was im- 
itated by several of the nobility, anxious to raise money to 
furnish themselves for the crusades; and thus a system of 
municipal government was gradually established in France, 
which greatly tended to promote commerce and civilization. 

19. After the example of Charlemagne, Louis sent justices 
itinerant through the country, who formed a court of appeal 
against unjust sentences in the baronial courts. This institu- 
tion was equally beneficial to the king and the people ; it 
diminished the authority which the nobles derived from their 
territorial jurisdiction, and corrected many evils which had 
arisen from local oppression. These wise establishments 
were the work of four brothers named Garland, and of the 
abbe Segur, who were the principal ministers of Louis le 
Gros. 

20. During this reign the monasteries were greatly multi- 
plied ; and the authority of the monks everywhere increased. 
The most conspicuous of the ecclesiastics who interfered in 
public affairs, was St. Bernard, abbe of Clairvaux, a man 
greatly celebrated for his piety and eloquence ; by the force 
of his talents he acquired a great personal influence over the 
pontifl^s, kings, and nations, but not possessing real political 
wisdom, he did not exercise his power to any beneficial pur- 
pose. 2L Arnold de Brescia, another monk, preached against 
the influence exercised by ecclesiastics in state affairs, and 
maintained that the clergy violated 
their duty by interfering in politics. 
These doctrines roused the in- 
dignation of the ambitious clergy, 
and the tenets of Arnold were 
everywhere proscribed ; still the 
number of his followers increased, 
until the pope, dreading the pro- 
gress of such opinions, had him 
condemned and burned as a heretic. 

23. Louis Vll., surnamed the 
youngs had been associated in the 
kingdom with his father, some 
years before the death of that 
monarch. His ardent temper soon 
after his accession involved him in 
a quarrel with the church. The 
chapter of Bruges elected an arch- j^juig vil. 




80 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



bishop displeasing to the king, Louis annulled the election 
and commanded them to proceed to a new one. Pope Inno- 
cent II., although he owed the tiara in a great measure to the 
influence of the French monarch, warmly espoused the cause 
of the chapte"-, consecrated the new archbishop himself, and 
when Louis refused to admit him, placed the kingdom under 
an interdict. 




Thibaut, Count of Champagne. 

23. Thibaut, count of Champagne, devoted to the cause of 

the monks more through ambition than zeal for religion, took 

up arms against his sovereign ; while St. Bernard filled the 

country with faction, by incessantly declaiming against the 

king's impious interference with religion. 24. Louis 

ni^ assembled his forces, and invading Champagne, took 

■ the town of Vitri by storm : a merciless slaughter was 

made of the inhabitants; thirteen hundred had fled into a 

church, hoping that the sanctity of the place would prove 

their protection ; but by command of the king, the edifice 

was set on fire, and they all perished miserably in the flame? 

25. Remorse for this crime ever after preyed on the mind of 

Louis, and to make atonement, he resolved, at the instigation 



THE SECOND CRUSADE. SI 

of St. Bernard, to join in the second crusade. 26. On this 
occasion, all the enthusiasm of the former expedition was re- 
newed. At an assembly held at Vezelai, the kin;^ and Ber- 
nard, mounted on a scaffold, addressed the multitude, and 
impressed on them the duty of waging war against the idola- 
ters, as they ignorantly called the Mohammedans. So great 
was the enthusiasm produced in the assembly, that the crosses 
which had been prepared were not sufficient, and Bernard 
tore his robe in shreds to supply the crowd of volunteers. 
The command of the expedition was offered to the saint, but 
he had the good sense to refuse; he trusted to his talents as 
a preacher rather than as a warrior, and having succeeded in 
France, he proceeded to Germany, where he kindled a similar 
flame. 27. Two monarchs, Conrad III., emperor of 
Germany, and Louis of France, were the leaders of the , ,' . * 
second crusade. Few expeditions have been more 
calamitous. The treachery of the Greeks, who dreaded the 
crusaders even more than the Saracens, the ignorance of the 
leaders, the disunion of their followers, and the total absence 
of discipline, combined to ruin the two armies. After a series 
of calamitous defeats, the monarchs were obliged to visit Je- 
rusalem as pilgrims instead of conquerors ; and returned to 
Europe without honour, and almost without followers. 28. 
Eleonora, the queen of Louis, had accompanied him on this 
expedition ; she was the heiress of Poitou and Aquitaine, and 
by her marriage these rich provinces had been united to 
France ; but while Louis was advancing through Palestine, 
Eleonora remained at Antioch, indulging in th^ most criminal 
excesses, and Louis resolved at all hazards to obtain a divorce. 
During the absence of the king the administration of affairs 
had been trusted to the abbe Segur, under whose judicious 
management the nation enjoyed peace and tranquillity. He 
had opposed the project of the crusade, but was borne down 
by the superior influence of Bernard, and he made an equally 
ineffectual resistance to the meditated divorce. 29. Louia 
repudiated Eleonora on the old pretext of consanguinity ; six 
wiieks after she married Henry H. of England, and thus united 
the provinces of Aquitaine and Poitou to the English crown. 
This created mutual jealousy between the rival monarchs, and 
produced a desultory warfare, which, with little interruption, 
lasted nearly twenty years. 30. During one of the brief in- 
tervals of peace, the two monarchs went to visit pope Alex- 
ander in., whom the disturbances of Italy had compelled ta 

F 



82 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

take refuge in France, and showed their submission to th«» 
pontiff by taking each a rein of his horse's bridle, and con- 
ducting him in this state to the lodgings that had been pre- 
pared for his reception. 

31. Through hatred of Henry, Louis strenuously supported 
the celebrated Thomas-a-Becket, in his resistance to his sove- 
reign, and aided Henry's unnatural sons in tlieir frequent 
rebellions against their indulgent father. Queen Eleanor waa 
the principal cause of these troubles in the family of Henry ; 
as she had brought him so rich a dowry, she expected that 
the monarch would have evinced his gratitude by devoted 
afTection ; and when she found herself neglected, she urged 
her sons to raise the flames of civil war in those provinces 
that had been committed to their government. Young Henry 
in Normandy, Geoffry in Brittany, and Richard in Aquitaine, 
threw off' allegiance to their king and father nearly at the same 
time. The war was principally remarkable for the mutual 
treachery of the rebels and their adherents ; the brothers 
seemed to hate each other as much as they did their father, 
and one of them, GeofTry, declared that " mutual hatred was 
the family inheritance of the Plantagenets." 32. Louis dur- 
ing the war exhibited several gross instances of vile treachery, 
especially at the siege of Rouen, where, having granted the 
inhabitants a truce, he attempted to storm the town while 
they were off" their guard ; but a priest on the walls having 
observed the bustle in the enemy's camp, rung the alarm-bell, 
the garrison at once hurried to the walls, and Louis was re- 
pulsed with disgrace. 

33. After the conclusion of a truce with the English, Louis 
resolved to crown his eldest son Philip ; but on the day ap- 
pointed for the ceremony, the young prince lost his way while 
hunting in the forest; and when discovered, had suffered so 
much from cold and fatigue that he fell into a dangerous sick 
ness that threatened his life. The fond father undertook a 
pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas-a-Becket, on whose pa- 
tronage he conceived that he had had a strong claim. The 
journey was fatal to the old king ; the rapidity with which he 
travelled, and the anxiety of his mind, brought on an attack 
of the palsy, from which he never recovered. The corona- 
tion of Philip was celebrated with extraordinary splendour, 
but illness prevented his father from witnessing the ceremony; 
he lingered, however, some months longrr, and when he felt 



LOUIS VII. 83 

the near approach of death, he ordered all his private properly 
lo be distributed among the poor. 

34. In this reign the poetry of the Troubadours had at- 
tained the summit of its popularity. These poets were for 
the most part natives of Provence, and their songs vi^ere writ- 
ten in the dialect of that country. Love and gallantry were 
the principal subjects of their poetic effusions; but though 
many of them display considerable refinement, a great num- 
ber are sullied by grossness and indelicacy. 35. About this 
time also we find the first traces of the French drama, in the 
theatrical representations introduced by the monks. The 
subjects were principally some of the historic events recorded 
in Scripture, or the legend of some favourite saint. They 
were called mysteries^ and long continued to form an import- 
ant part of every religious festival. 

36. Coats of arms and surnames became hereditary about 
the time of the second crusade; they were introduced to 
designate the rank and lineage of the several leaders engaged 
in the wars for the recovery of Palestine. Louis the Young 
was the first king who assumed the Jleur-de-lis, as the royal 
cognizance; it is disputed by antiquarians whether this en- 
sign be really the flower of the lily, or rather the head of the 
ancient French javelin. The majority of heraldic writers seern 
inclined to adopt the latter opinion. 



Questions. 

1. By what pontiff were the crusades preached in France 7 

2. Did he succeed in persuading the French to join in the wars 7 

3. Wliat else was done at the council of Clermont 1 

4. Who were the leaders of the crusaders ? 

8. By whom were they induced to undertake a second expe^ 
dition ? 

6. What success had they? 

7. How was the life of Philip spent? 

8. What was the extent of the royal territories during the reign 

of Philip? 
^. Why were the French delighted at the accession of Louis? 
10. To what dangers had he been exposed in his youth ? 
..1. How did he remedy the defects of his education? 

12. In what domestic wars was he engaged? 

13. What was the cause of war between Louis and Henry L ol 

England? 

14. On what account did the emperor of 6-?rmany invada 

France ? 



S4 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

l5 What were the events of the war? 

16. By what domestic calamity was Louis le Gros afflicted f 

17. What advice did he give his son on his death-bed ? 

18. What useful institutions were made in tljis reign? 

19. Was any beneficial institution revived? 

20. For what is St. Bernard remarkable? 

21. What was Arnold de Brescia? 

22. Wliat was the cause of quarrel between Louis VIL and thfl 

Pope? 

23. Did any nobleman of importance join the monks'? 

24. What was the massacre of Vitri 1 

25. How did Louis strive to expiate his crime? 

2(3. Where, and by whom, was this new crusade proposed ? 

27. What was the event of the expedition? 

28. How did the queen Eleonora provoke the hostility of he/ 

husband ? 

29. To whom was she subsequently married ' 

30. What instan'^e of submission to the pope is recorded of the 

rival monarchs, Louis and Henry? 

31. By what domestic calamities was the family of Henry di» 

tracted ? 

32. What act of treacliery did Louis attempt? 

33. What was the cause of his death 1 

34. Who were the Troubadours? 

35. What was the origin of the French drama . 

36. Wlien were coats of arms introduced? 




PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 85 




Philip II., surnamed Augustus. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE REIGN OF PHILIP AUGUSTUS 

Still if you glory in the lion's force, 
Come, nobly emulate that lion's course! 
From guarded herds he vindicates his prey, 
Nor lurks in fraudful thickets from the day. 

LOVIBOITD 

I. The reigc of Philip Augustus forms an import- 
tnt era in the history of France ; previous to his ac- . *„„ 
cession, the monarchs had only a nominal supremacy 
over a confederation of princes, who were in reality inde- 
pendent sovereigns ; but in the course of this reign, the power 
of these vassals was broken, and the absolute authority of 
the king established. As he was only fifteen at the time of 
his father's death, the regency was entrusted to the count of 
Flanders, but Philip, impatient of control, soon took the reina 
of government into his own hands. 2. The first act of the 
oew monarch was one of questionable policy and absolute 
injustice; he confiscated the property of all the Jews in 
France, and banished them from his dominions, under thfi 
8 



S6 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

pretence that they had been guilty of usury and extortiun 
lut subsequently finding the want of rich capitalists, he per 
mitted them to return. 3. The vigour of the young monarch 
was soon experienced by the clergy and nobility. When the 
clergy atRheims were asked for a subsidy, they requested the 
king to be contented with their supplications for his success ; 
soon after, they applied to Philip for protection against some 
nobles that ravaged their territories, and Philip replied that 
he would supplicate these nobles to abstain from injuring the 
church. The entreaties of Philip were encouragement to th« 
assailants; a fresh complaint was made by the clergy, and 
Philip, in reply, said, " Of what do you complain, my friends ? 
have not I protected you with my prayers, as you assisted 
me with yours .?" The clergy then promised that they would, 
for the future, exhibit more substantial proofs of loyalty, and 
Philip, in his turn, afforded them more efficient protection. 
The count of Flanders, who had usurped some of the royal 
domains, was forced by the vigorous measures of Philip to 
restore them ; and Henry II., who had often cajoled Louis 
VII., found the new sovereign a formidable rival in policy. 

4. The causes of disunion between the French and English 
sovereigns were numerous and complicated ; the more so, 
because they were mixed up with the quarrels between Henry 
and his sons. The possessions of Aquitaine and Brittany, 
which Henry had obtained by his wife Eleonora, made his 
share of France nearly equal to the dominions of Philip, and 
the union of so many provinces under a single sovereign 
made him too formidable a vassal. The daughter of Louis 
had been betrothed to Richard, count of Poitiers, the son of 
Henry ; and the young princess was sent to the court of the 
British king until she attained a marriageable age. The mar- 
riage was delayed in consequence of the wars between Henry 
and his children ; but slander assigned other reasons, and it 
was asserted that a criminal intercourse had taken place be- 
tween Henry and his intended daughter-in-law. Several con- 
ferences on these topics took place between Philip and Henry, 
under an elm near Gisors, which grew exactly at the confines 
of France and Normandy ; but the superior wisdom of Henry 
so frequently baffled the French monarch, that he ordered the 
elm to be- cut down, declaring that no future conferences 
should be held under its shade. 

5, At length the interference of the pope restored peace foi 
a time : when the news of the capture of Jerusalem, by 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS 87 

Saladin, reached Europe, the tloman pontiff sent legates into 
every part of Christendom, entreating princes to lay aside 
their mutual jealousies, and unite for the recovery of the holy 
sepulchre. Amongst others, appeared William, archbishop 
of Tyie, driven from his see by the victories of the Saracens 
— one of the most celebrated men of the age for learning and 
eloquence. By his persuasion, the two kings agreed to ad- 
journ their differences, and to unite in a new expedition 
against Palestine. 6. But this apparent reconciliation lasted 
only for a short time ; count Richard engaged in war with 
the count of Toulouse; the French king, to avenge the cause 
of his vassals, attacked the English territories, and Henry, 
much against his will, found himself involved in a new war. 
Richard, who had been the original cause of the war, made 
a private offer to the king of France of doing him homage, 
and swearing fealty, provided that he were put in possession 
of all his father's continental dominions, and Philip readily 
agreed to the condi^ons. 7. Against such a coalition, Henry 
found himself unable to maintain a contest, and solicited the 
intervention of the pope. A legate was sent, who threatened 
to place the kingdom of France under an interdict, but Philip 
was not to be daunted by this threat. 8. He replied, " Sir 
legate, pass the sentence if it please thee, for I fear it not. 
The Roman church has no right to harm the kingdom of 
France, eitiier by interdict or otherwise, when the king thinks 
proper to arm against his rebellious vassals, to revenge his 
own injuries and the honour of his crown. Besides, I see 
by thy discourse, that thou hast smelled the king of Eng- 
land's esierlinsP 

9. To annoy Henry the more, Philip and Richard made a 
great parade of their friendship; they lived in the same tent, 
ate at the same table, and slept in the same bed ; and yet we 
shall see their friendship after a few years terminating in the 
most rancorous hatred. At length Henry, worn out 

. . A. D. 

by successive calamities, died at Chinon, having pro- . * „' 
nounced a malediction on his children, which he could 
uever be prevailed on to retract. Richard visited his father 
on his death-bed, and afterwards returned to the French 
camp, where he jested about the impotent hostility the old 
king had shown during the interview. 

10. Richard, now become king of England, prepared to 
join with Philip in the third crusade ; the two monaichs pub- 
licly rf^newed their former league of amity, and swore that 



88 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

each snould protect the dominions of the other as if the) 
were his own. But this friendship was not of long duration; 
during their delay in the harbour of Messina, which was the 
rendezvous of their fleets, frequent subjects of dispute arose. 
Richard was haughty and tyrannical, both in manner and dis- 
position ; Philip was proud, jealous, and deceitful ; violence 
on the one side was opposed by artifice on the other, and the 
other crusaders had reason to dread that the expedition would 
be frustrated by a war between the ambitious rivals. 11. 
These dissensions were with difficulty quelled in Messina, 
but they broke out with fresh violence in Palestine, until at 
length, Philip, unable to brook the pre-eminence that Richard 
had obtained by his superior valour, feigned indisposition, and 
returned to Europe. In his way back, he applied to the pope 
to be absolved from his oath of fidelity and friendship, but the 
pontiff rejected his request with becoming indignation. 12. 
Notwithstanding Philip stimulated John to rebel against his 
absent brother, and attempt to seize on- his dominions, the 
labours of both were frustrated by the Norman nobles, who 
admired the valour of their sovereign, and felt a personal 
interest in the honour that the prowess of Richard, whom 
they surnamed the Lion-hearted, had added to the Norman 
name. 

13. The news of these events recalled Richard from Pales- 

tine; but on his return, while passing through Ger- 
■. /q,,' many in the disguise of a pilgrim, he was discovered 

and imprisoned by the duke of Austria, whom he had 
grievously insulted in the Holy Land. After a long and 
tedious captivity, the English monarch was liberated, and re- 
turned to England eager to avenge the wrongs inflicted on 
him by his rebellious brother and treacherous rival. When 
Philip heard of Richard's liberation, he sent John a billet 
announcing the news in these emphatic words, "Take care 
of yourself; the devil is unchained." 

14. From Richard's return until his death, an almost inces- 
sant war was continued between hi-m and Philip; but their 
hostility was confined to petty skirmishes on the borders, and 
to aiding rebellious vassals who took up arms against the 
rival s6vereig.ns. The king of France, dreading the military 
skill of Richard, only once ventured to encounter him in the 
field, and was then defeated with the loss of hi:5 baggage 
axnong which were the archives of the kingdom. 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 89 

15 The death of Richard liberated Philip from a 
powerful rival; and a conjuncture of favourable cir- , /qq 
ciunstances in the inglorious reign of his successor, 
enabled him to seize on the hereditary dominions which the 
English kings had for so many years possessed on the Con- 
tinent. We have previously seen that the people of Brittany 
M'ere strenuous assertors of their own independence, and very 
averse to foreign domination. In order to secure their affec- 
tions, Henry II. having appointed his second son count of 
Brittany, united him in marriage with Constance, a descendant 
of the native princes of that country. As soon as Constance 
had borne a son, the Bretons insisted on his being baptized 
by the name of Arthur, because there had been for a long 
period, prophecies circulated among all the Celtic tribes, fore- 
telling that a prince of that name should restore the ancient 
glories of the Breton race. 16. John was recognised as king, 
in England, Normandy, and Aquitaine; but the duchy of 
Brittany, the counties of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, with 
several others, acknowledged Arthur as their sovereign, and 
"laimed the protection of the king of France. Philip having 
thus obtained an entrance, dismantled the towns and razed 
the fortresses of his new vassals ; but despairing of being 
able to retain these provinces against the will of the in- 
habitants, and in despite of the king of England, he made 
peace with John, and sacrificed to him Arthur and his fol- 
lowers. 17. But while Philip was thus despoiling young 
Aithur of his inheritance, he had him educated at court with 
his own sons, and kept him as an useful agent in the possible 
case of a new rupture with John. This rupture soon took 
place, in consequence of an insurrection of the Poi- 
tevins under the command of the court de la Marche, ,.-,'qo 
from whom the king of England had taken his be- 
trothed wife. Philip on this broke the peace, proclaimed 
Arthur count of the Bretons, Anjoi"*,",s, and Poitevins, mar- 
ried him to the princess Mary, then only five years old, and 
BPUt him afthe head of an army t' conquer thg>se towns of 
Poitou, which still held out for thf king of England. 

18. The issue of the war was •'•^lamitous to Arthur, he 
laid siege to Mirebeau, a small town near Poitiers, in which 
the dowager queen of England then T<--sided. The town was 
taken, but Eleanor retired into the citiv^lel, and -sent pressing 
messengers to John to advance to her 'elief. Eager to libe- 
rate his mother, the English king nume ' across t>« country 
8* 



90 



}USTORY (3F FRANCE. 




Death of Prince Arthur. 



by foroed marches, attacked the besiegers, who were totallji 
unprepared, and made Arthur, together with the principal 
leaders of the insurrection, prisoners. He carried them all 
into Normandy, where Artliursoon disappeared, murdered by 
his uncle, as the Bretons affirmed ; or accidentally killed in 
attempting to make his escape, as the Normans relate the 
story. 

19. The death of Arthur slung the Bretons to madness; in 
him they had placed the l.ast hope of regaining their national 
independence, and tlie same ardent imagination which had led 
them to believe their future destiny connected with that of 
this child, inspired them with a sort of mad affection for 
Philip, because he was the enemy of young Arthur's murderer 
They accused John before the French king, as his feudal 
suzerain, of young Arthur's murder; and he in consequence 
summoned John as his vassal for Normandy, to 'appear and 
defend himself before the twelve peers of France. As no 
notice was taken of this summons, the lands which John held 
under the French crown were declared forfeit, and an army 
was levied to put the sentence into execution. 

20. The conquest of Normantiy was effected almost with- 
out an effort on the part of Philip. The Bretons, forgetful 
that »hey were forging chains for themselves, and listening 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 9J 

only to the dictates of a blind revenge, poured their 
forces into the country, and committed such ravages ,.^,^1 
that the other parts of the province gladly submitted 
to the king of France, from whom alone they could expect 
protection. The English monarch made no attempt to rescue 
his dominions, but passed his time in hunting and other diver- 
sions. 21, When the people of Rouen, after having made a 
fierce resistance, and endured every extremity, sent a deputa 
tion to inform him that they must surrender unless relieved, 
the envoys found their king playing at chess ; he did not rise 
from the board, nor give tliem an answer, until the game was 
finished. He then said to them drily — " 1 have no means of 
succouring you within the time appointed, so do the best you 
can." The town of course surrendered ; those which still 
held out followed its example; and the conquest of all the 
English dominions but Guienne was completed. 22. In less 
than a century after this conquest, the Normans had become 
so identified with the French, that in every war against Eng- 
land, their privateers did more injury to the British trade than 
any ot.lier portion of the French navy. 

23. The reign of Philip Augustus is remarkable by being 
intimately connected with the pontificate of Innocent 111. 
This pope, who seemed to have inherited tho haughtiness and 
ambition of Gregory VII., treated crowned heads as if they 
were merely his vassals. He commenced by excommup.irat- 
ing Philip, and placing his kingdom under an interdict, on 
account of his having divorced his wife Ingeberge, and the 
king was forced to make a show of submission. 24. The 
vengeance of the pope was next directed against John, for 
refusing to allow Stephen Langton to take possession of the 
see of Canterbury; not content with placing the kingdom 
under an interdict, he declared the throne vacant, and offered 
to bestow it on Philip. The French monarch, listening only 
to the dictates of ambition, and forgetting that this precedent 
might hereafter be directed against himself, prepared a fleet 
a~?,d levied an army to go and take possession. John was too 
great a coward to encounter the storm ; he surrendered his 
crown to Pandolf, the papal legate, and consented to hold 
England for the future as a vassal of the holy see. in conse- 
quence he was formally reconciled to the churchy anrt the 
French were forbidden to attempt any thing again.* one 'vh« 
Was under the peculiar protection of the holy see 



92 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




King John of England. 



25. Indig-nant at being 
thus deceived, Philip con 
tinued his preparations : 
and though attacked by a 
crowd of enemies, extri- 
cated himself by his valour 
and prudence. The empe- 
ror Otho and the count of 
Flanders, united with the 
English, invaded France, 
and Philip, with far inferior 
forces, met them on the 
plains of Bouvines, near 
Tournay. The French ob- 
tained a complete victory J 
Otho having encountered a 
French knight, was dis- 
mounted and rescued with 
difficulty; alarmed at the 
danger, he seized another 
horse and fled ; while Philip 
with an exulting smile said 
to his nobles, " My friends, 
we shall see nothing to-day 



but his back." The flight of the emperor was the signal for 
the ruin of his army ; the Imperialists no longer resisted, and 
a terrible slaughter ensued. After having obtained so glorious 
a victory, Philip returned to Paris, and entered his capital in 
triumph. His two most bitter enemies, the count of Flanders 
and the count of Boulogne, were led in triumph and confined 
in the Louvre, then a castle in the vicinity of Paris, which 
served both for a palace and a prison. 

26. John, after this defeat of his allies, was on the brink 
of ruin ; he had been compelled by his barons to sign Magna 
Charta, and swear to its observance, but the oath was violated 
almost as soon as it had been taken. On this the 
barons declared him deposed, and elected as their J^'^' 
sovereign Louis, the eldest son of Philip, whose wife, 
Blanche of Castile, was the grand-daughter of Henry H.; 
Riid this prince was actually proclaimed in London. When 
Innocent heard of these transactions, he redoubled his ex- 
communications, but they were disregarded; indignation 
threw him into a fever, and he died wliile meditating new 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 



9:^ 




PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 95 

acts of violence. 27. The greater part of England had 
already submitted to Louis, when the death of John saved 
that country from a foreign yoke; the English everywhere 
submitted to Henry III., the son of John, and Louis had the 
good sense to resign a crown which he could scarcely have 
retained. 

28. We have already seen how the death of prince Arthur 
enabled Philip to establish the royal authority in the northern 
provinces of France ; circumstances, equally extraordinary, 
destroyed all the national power of the inhabitants of the 
country between the Mediterranean, the Rhone, and the Ga- 
ronne. These men, for the most part vassals of the count 
of Toulouse, were, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, far 
superior to the rest of Gaul in wealth and civilization. They 
carried on an extensive and lucrative commerce with the East, 
where the signature of their count had then greater weight 
than the king of France's great seal. Their towns had a 
municipal constitution like the Italian republics, their mer- 
chants enjoyed many of the privileges of nobility, their litera- 
ture was the most refined in Europe, and their literary dialect, 
the Proven9al, was classical in Italy and Spain. But with all 
these advantages, they had one greater source of pre-eminence, 
which yet was the cause of their ruin. They had anticipated, 
and in some degree exceeded, the religious reforms of the six- 
teenth century; they had virtually renounced the authority 
of the Romish see, which vainly exhausted the resources of 
its immense diplomatic organization to bring them into obe- 
dience. The emissaries of the pontiff brought to Alby, ISTar- 
bonne, and Toulouse, bulls of excommunication against the 
enemies of the Romish faith ; but the clergy, and even the 
bishops, had shared in the alleged heresy, and the weapons 
of the church were disregarded. To stop this spreading con- 
tagion, it was necessary to destroy the freedom and 
social order from which it arose, and Innocent III. ,o\q' 
undertook the task. He preached a crusade against 

the inhabitants of the county of Toulouse and diocese of 
Alby, as his predecessors had done against the Saracens; and 
published throughout Europe, that whoever would take up 
arms and war against them to the uttermost, should obtain 
remission of all his sins, and a part of the property of the 
heretics. 

29. Unforiunalely the period was favourable for this cru 
«ade of Christians against Christians. The conquest of Nor 



I>6 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

inandy had dispossessed many of its gallant knights, and 
made llieni soUners of fortune ; companies of warlike adven- 
turers roamed through Euiope, offering their services to any 
sovereign tliat would take tiiem into pay, and there were few 
kings who dared to refuse sending soldiers to the aid of a 
pontiff, who was so ready to fulminate interdicts and excom- 
munications. Besides, the pilgrimage against the Albigense* 
(for so was this war called) promised greater profit, with less 
risk, than the crusade against the Saracens. A numerous army 
was levied, entitled Post de noire Seigneur, (the host of our 
Lord,) and its general, Simon, count de Montford, did homage 
to the king of France for territories over which his sovereignty 
was not as yet extended. 

30. Raymond VJ., count of Toulouse, interested himself in 
favour of his unhappy^ subjects, the Albigenses, whom the 
pope wished to exterminate ; fortius he was excommunicated 
as a favourer of heresy, and all his dominions confiscated. 
No submission, no degradation, not even submitting to be 
oeaten with rods as a public penance, and taking up arms 
against his faithful subjects, could procure Raymond's pardon. 
He was obliged to seek refuge in the court of his brother-in- 
law, the king of Arragon, and leave his unfortunate subjects 
to their fate. 31. The war was carried on with more fero- 
cious cruelty than any ever recorded in history; the fanatical 
fury of the soldiers was stimulated by the exhortations of the 
clergy; at the storming of Beziers, when it was pro- 
1 '21 S pt'^ed to spare the Catholics, a monk exclaimed, "■ Kill 
all, God will recognize his own ;■" and the atrocious 
precept was but loo well obeyed. The war terminated by 
the complete devastation of the country, and the almost com- 
plete extermination of its inhabitants. Philip obtained the 
sovereignty oyer these valuable provinces, and the inquisition 
was established at Toulouse, to prevent the profession of any 
doctrines condemned by the pope. 

A singular crusade took place during the' reign of Philip 
Augustus. His sister, Margaret of France, was married to 
Pela, king of Hungary-. At his decease she took an oath to 
live only for Christ, and to close her life in the Holy Land. 
Accordingly she herself headed a crusade of her subjects, and 
led them to the holy war. 

32. hi the close of Philip's reign, the fifth crusade took 
place. This expedition sailed against Egypt. At first they 
were successful, and captured Damietta, but fortune soon 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 



■Mi fliSp-fi^^^-) 




G 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS. 99 

changed ; when they advanced into the country, the adven- 
turers were suddenly hemmed in by an inundation of the 
Nile, and were glad to purchase a safe letreat by the surrender 
of all their conquests. 

33. Philip died in the 44th year of his reign, after 
having laid the permanent foundation of the royal au- ,9*90 
thofity in France. His claim to the title of Augustus, 
uniformly given to him by the French historians, appears 
very questionable ; his treachery to king Richard and prince 
Arthur, his persecution of the Jews, and his crusade against 
ti/.e Albigenses, are foul blots on his character, not to be com- 
ponsated by his having paved the streets of Paris, erected an 
aqueduct, or having reduced all the provinces of Gaul into 
the kingdom of France. He was the first European sovereign 
who maintained a standing army 5 under pretence that he was 
in danger of being assassinated by his rival Richard, he insti- 
tuted a corps of body-guards, whom he called ribands, and 
on whom he conferred many privileges. During his reign, 
the university of Paris acquired great eminence, but no useful 
branches of learning were cultivated ; science still was con- 
fined to the Arabians, and religion was disgraced by a number 
of offensive ceremonies, all of them absurd, and many inde- 
cent. New orders of preaching friars were instituted during 
this period, of whom the most remarkable were the followers 
of St. Dominic, to whom the care of the inquisition was con- 
fided. Yet, with all their efforts, what they called heresy 
was not extirpated in France. The Protestants, who at this 
day remain in the southern provinces of that country, are 
descended from the Albigenses, whose piety and constancy 
they still deservedly venerate. 



Questions. 

1 Who was regent during Philip's minority? 

2. With what unjust act did he begin his reign 7 

3. How did he act to the clevgy and nobles ? 

4. What was the principal cause of disunion between the Frensh 

and English monarchs ? 

5. By whose interference was peace restored for a time 7 

6. Who caused a new war ? 

7. To whose mediation did Henry appeal? 

8. How did Philip treat the papal legate ? 

9. In what manner did Richard treat his father and king? 
10. Whence arose the hostility between Philip and Biohaidf^ 



100 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



11 How was It injurious to the cause of the crusaders? 

1.2 Of what treachery was Philip guilty? 

13. How did Philip communicate to John the news of Richard'* 

liberation ? 
[.4. In what manner was the war between Richard and Pbil.in 

carried on ? 

15. Why were the people of Brittany attached to prince Artbtijrl 

16. Did the Bretons find Philip a faithful ally ? 

17. What caused a new war? 

18. What became of prince Arthur? 

19. How were the Bretons affected by the news of ,bfs death ? 

20. By whose assistance did Philip subdue Normandy? 

21. How did John behave when his territories were invaded 7 

22. Did the Normans retain any affection for the English ? 

23. How did Innocent II. treat Philip? 

24. By what means was John rescued from the dangeis by which 

he was threatened ? 

25. What were the events of the battle of Bouvines? 

26. To what dangers was John exposed? 

27. How was England saved from becoming a French province ? 

28. Why were the Albigenses persecuted? 

29. How does it appear that the time chosen for this iniquitom 

war was well selected ? 

30. What became of Raymond? 

31. How were the Albigenses treated? 

32. What was the fortune of the fifth crusade ? 

S3. What was the general character of Philip's reign 7 





Figures taken from Monuments of the Twelfth Century. 



LOUIS IX. 



101 




Louis VIII. 



CHAPTER XI. 
LOUIS VIII. LOUIS IX. 



On their broad shields they bore him from the plain. 
To sense a corpse, and number'd with the slain. 
His fixed eyes in hovering shades were drowti'd, 
His gallant limbs in death-like fetters bound. 
The shouts tumultuous, and the din of war, 
His ear rereived like murmurs heard afar; 
Or as some peasant hears, securely laid 
Beneath a vaulted cliff or woodland sliade, 
When o'er his head unnumber'd insects sing 
In airy rounds ; the children of the spring. 

Epi&oiriAD 



1 Loris VIIL, descended from Charlemagne by the 



A. D. 



aioOier's side, was the first of the Capetian line who 1090 
had not been crowned auring the lifetime of his father. 
Previous to his accession, he had been engaged in endeavour- 
ing to drive the English from Guienne, and had so far suc- 
9* 



102 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



cceded, that only a few towns on the sea-coast renmhied in 
their possession. These must soon have yielded, had not 
Louis been summoned away by the pope to complete the sub- 
jugation of the Albigenses. He captured Avignon, situated 
in the independent territory of Provence, and even penetrated 
as far as Toulouse. On his return he died, poisoned, it is 
said, bj»Thibaut, count of Champagne, who was in 
1 22fi ^°^^ wiih the queen. 2. Louis IX., afterwards called 
St. Louis, was but twelve years old at the time of his 
father's death, but the regency was ably managed by his mo 

ther, Blanche of Castile. Th 
proud nobles were averse to the 
government of a foreigner, and 
a woman;*- but the queen, by a 
mixture of prudence and firm- 
ness, disconcerted all their ef- 
forts, and retained the reins of 
government until the young king 
had reached his twenty-first year 
The persecution of the Albigen- 
ses still continued ; this unfortu- 
nate people having made some 
resistance to the crusaders, were 
assailed by fresh armies, and 
forced into submission. 

3. When the young king 
came of age he showed his 
gratitude to his mother by con- 
tinuing to her a share in the ad- 
ministration; he then applied himself diligently to the refor- 

* A. strange anecaote is recorded of the oppression of the clergy, 
and L)old spirit of the queen regent. In the year 1223, the chapter 
of Notre Dame levied a heavy tax on the villages over which they 
had jurisdiction. The innabitants of Chatenay vi'ere either unable 
or unwilling to pay the required sum ; they were all arrested and 
crowded into a small prison by their reverend taskmasters. Queen 
Blarxhe having learned that these unfortunate beings were deprived 
of air and food, solicited the chapter to set them at liberty. But the 
canons, so far from complying, were so enraged at the queen's in 
terfcrence, that they apprehended the wives and children of the 
prisoners, and thrust them into the same wretched place of confine- 
ment. Exhausted by hunger, thirst, and want of air, many of these 
ur.fortunate beings died miserably; when the queen, exasperated 
&t the conduct of the canons, went to the prison, accompanied by 




Blanche of Castile. 



104 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




LOUIS IX. 



105 



mation of the state, and especially the abuses intro- 
duced by the licentiousness of the clergy, and he so , ' ' 
far succeeded as to correct some of the most glaring 
evils. 4. His tranquillity was first disturbed by the revolt ol 
the count of Marche, who, being aided 6y Henry III., took 
up arms against Louis. The revolters and their allies were 
twice defeated, and the war terminated by the annexation of 
a considerable portion of the count's territory to tiie crown 
of France. 5. Soon after this Louis fell sick, and while hia 
recovery was doubtful, made a vow tliat he would, on his 
restoration to health, attempt the liberation of Palestine. His 
mother and his wisest counsellors in vain endeavoured to 
change his resolution ; as soon as he became well, he assumed 
the cross, and the nobility, who were ardently attached to 
him, followed his example. 

6. Three years were spent in preparations for this expedi- 
tion ; and the precautions taken by the king showed, that 
though seduced by the prejudices of the time to adopt this 
absurd scheme, yet he could display such prudence and wis- 
dom in the execution, as almost to atone for its defects. Tha 
Sieur de Joinville, who accompanied the king, has left 

us an interesting record of this calamitous expedition, j^'^J 
from which the following sketch is extracted. 

7. After a long delay at Cyprus, 
Louis directed his course to Egypt, 
where he found an army of Saracens 
prepared to oppose his landing. No 
sooner had his vessel touched the 
ground, than Louis leaped into the 
water, followed by his bravest troops, 
waded to the shore under a heavy 
fire of arrows, and attacked the ene- 
my with so much impetuosity, that 
they were instantly broken, and 
forced to fly in disorder. So great 
was tlie panic produced by this de- 
feat, that Damietta, wliich was well 
prepared to make a long resistance, 
was surrendered almost without a 
blow. 8. Louis, compelled to re- Louis ix. 

main at Damietta during the inundation of the Nile, had the 

eome servants whom she commanded to break the door. The ser 
rants refused, dreading the consequences of a quarrel with the 




0(3 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

grief to see his soldiers give themselves up to every species 
of licentiousness. At length the falling of the waters per- 
mitted the advance of the crusaders, and Louis prepared to 
lay siege to Cairo. During the march, the army were ex- 
posed to uicessant attacks from the Saracens, which, thougn 
they were always repulsed, greatly harassed the invaders. A 
more serious impediment soon appeared ; they reached the 
banks of the Astmoun canal, and were utterly at a loss how 
to proceed. 9. After some delay, an Arab, induced by a large 
bribe, pointed out a ford, and the count of Artois, brother to 
the king, passing over, defeated a body of Mamelukes who 
had been posted there to defend the passage. Contrary to the 
advice of the Templars, and those who were acqnainted with 
the Saracenic mode of warfare, the count pursued the fugi- 
tives into the town of Massoura, where his cavalry were soon 
entangled in the streets. Assailed by stones from the roofs 
of the houses, and attacked by the troops, who had rallied 
afresh, the whole detachment would have perished had not 
Louis come to their assistance. The Saracens were finally 
defeated, but the victors had suffered more loss from the battle 
than the vanquished. 10. New combats increased the glory, 
but weakened the strength of the crusaders; while the Sara- 
cens, constantly on the watch, cut off all their supplies ; 
famine and disease attacked the camp at the same time, while 
their enemies were every day strengthened by the arrival of 
fresh troops. While preparing to retreat to Damietta, the 
camp of the crusaders was suddenly attacked, when the king 
lay exhausted in his tent by disease and disappointment; even 
in this bitter moment he displayed all the valour and energy 
of his character ; he mounted his steed, and endeavoured to. 
marshal his line, but fell exhausted by weariness. IL One 
of his knights dragged him with difficulty out of the melee^ 
and gave him in charge to a woman that followed the camp; 
the victory of the Saracens was complete, and Louis remained 
a prisoner. 12. His queen, who had accompanied him in the 

chuich. The qiieen determined to accomplish her design, coin 
nienced breaking the door herself; when the first blow was struck, 
the charm was dissolved, and an entrance was soon forced by the 
attendants- A multitude of men, women, and children, pallid and 
tottering through weakness, immediately came forth, and dreading 
to be subjected to fresh punishment, implored protection of the 
queen, who succeeded in delivering them from their state of bond 
«g© to the chapter. 



LOUIS IX. 107 

expedition, was at Damietta when this unfortunate event oc- 
curred, unable to move, as she was near the time of her con- 
finement. An old knight was her only attendant, and from 
him she obtained a promise that he would put her to death 
sooner than see her fall into the hands of the Saracens. In 
the midst of this distress she was delivered of a son, whom, 
in allusion to her calamity, she named Tristan. 13. Louis 
entered into a treaty with the Sultan of Egypt, by which he 
agreed to restore Damietta for his own ransom, to pay one 
hundred thousand marks of silver for the redemption of the 
other captives, and to keep peace with the Saracens for ten 
years. From Egypt he proceeded to Palestine, where he col- 
lected the money that he had promised the sultan, and hon- 
ourably fulfilled all the conditions of the treaty. At length 
the news of his mother's death showed him the necessity of 
returning to his own dominions. Grief for the misfortunes 
of her son, and remorse for the unjust execution of two men 
whom she had deemed guilty of spreading a false account of 
the great calamity that had overwhelmed the French army, 
brought down the queen regent's gray hairs with sor- 
row to the grave. Louis, at his landing, was received 1.-,^^ 
with the greatest joy by the people, but, at the same 
time, they remarked with sorrow, that he still continued to 
wear the cross, a sign that his crusading spirit was not yet 
extinct, and that he still meditated a new expedition. 

14. The aflkirs of the government at home engaged all the 
king's attention after his return ; the tyranny and oppression 
of the nobles had risen to an extravagant height, and the 
courts of justice were notoriously influenced by the most 
corrupt motives. In his own conduct, Louis exhibited the 
most diflicult part of justice to put in practice, the virtue of 
restitution ; he ordered that all the fiefs which had been un- 
justly annexed to the royal domains, should be restored to 
their legitimate owners. He gave up to the king of England 
several of the towns which his father had conquered in 
Guienne, receiving in return a renunciation of that monarch's 
claims over Normandy and Touraine. 15. Such was the im- 
pression produced by this generous conduct, that 
Louis was chosen arbitrator of the disputes between i.-,,.^ 
Henry HI. and his turbulent barons, headed by the 
earl of Leicester. An assembly of the slates of France was 
summoned at Amiens, and there, in the presence of that as- 
sembly, as v/ell as in that of the king of England, and Peter 



108 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



de Montfort, Leicester's son, he brought this great cause to a 
trial and examination. The decision of Louis was, that the 
royal authority should be restored, and the provisions of 
Magna-Charta observed ; but this equitable sentence displeased 
both parties, and it became manifest that the dispute could 
only be settled by a civil war. 

16. During this reign the au- 
thority of the kings of France v^as 
extended over new portions of the 
southern provinces ; Charles of 
Anjou, brother to the king, before 
the crusade had been married to 
Beatrice, the heiress of Provence ; 
and thus the national independence 
of that interesting little country 
was annihilated. The Provencals 
made several ineffectual efforts to 
shake off the yoke, but these be- 
ing defeated, served only to rivel 
their fetters the tighter. Louis 
exchanged with the king of Arra 
gon his right to Catalonia, for that 
monarch's claim to several towns 
in the south of France ; and ac- 
quired by purchase a great portion 
of the territories of the count of 
Champagne. 17. The prudence that dictated these measures 
seems to have forsaken the king on another occasion, where 
it is difficult to reconcile his conduct either with wisdom or 
justice. — The hatred which the popes had shown to Frederic 
JI. extended to his posterity. On his death, Innocent IV. 
offered the crown of Naples to the king of England, for his 
second son prince Edmund ; but this invasion was defeated 
by the emperor Conrad, who appears to have inherited the 
abilities of his father. Soon after, the victor was poisoned by- 
las natural brother Manfredi, who assumed the reins of go- 
vernment nominally as guardian to the young prince 
19fifi Conradin. The pope however claimed the kingdom 
of Naples as a fief of the holy see, and offered it to 
Charles of Anjou. Louis was weak enough to permit hia 
brother to accept the offer, and allowed a crusade to be 
preached throughout his dominions against Manfredi and 
Conradin. Bv this means Charles soon found himself at the 




Charles of Anjou, King of 
Sicily. 



LOUIS IX. 109 

hcfld of a powerful army, and passing into Italy, defeated and 
slew Manfred], at the battle of Benevento. Conradin, who 
was only sixteen years old at the time, still continued the 
war, but at length the superior skill of Charles prevailed, the 
young prince was defeated and made a prisoner. 

18. As Conradin had been excommunicated, his cruel cap- 
tor refused him the rights of a prisoner of war, and ordered 
him to be publicly executed. In this trying moment Con- 
radin exhibited a courage and spirit worthy of his illustrious 
race. When brought to the scaffold, he drew off his glove, 
and flinging it into the midst of the assembled multitude, en- 
treated the person into whose hands it might fall, to bear it 
to some of his relations as a symbol of inheriting his rights 
and an obligation to avenge his judicial murder. The glove 
was picked up by a knight, and carried to Peter, king of 
Arragon, who subsequently exacted terrible vengeance for 
Conradin's death. 

19. Although the former crusade had been attended with 
such calamitous consequences, Louis was eager to engage in 
another ; and the English king, relieved from his difficulties 
by the defeat and death of the earl of Leicester, promised to 
send him a body of auxiliaries under the command of 

his gallant son Edward. 20. Louis did not wait for -.n-^n 
the arrival of his allies ; he embarked on board some 
Genoese vessels, but instead of proceeding to Egypt or Pales- 
tine, he directed his armament against Tunis. The siege had 
not lasted more than a few weeks when a pestilence broke 
out in the camp, and destroyed great numbers of the troops. 
At length the king himself fell sick, and finding his end ap- 
'^roachinsr, sent for his eldest son Philip, and put into his 
hands a manuscript containing directions for his future con- 
duct. He then received the comforts of religion prescribed 
by the Romish church, and piously resigned his soul into the 
hands of his Creator. 2L Charles, of Anjou, about the same 
time landed to join his brother, but he found Louis and his 
son Tristan dead, Philip sinking under disease, and the army 
on the brink of ruin. In these calamitous circnmstancesj 
Charles took upon himself the management of affairs, and 
adopted such measures as the emergency rendered necessary. 
22. Louis IX. was a good, rather than a great king ; his 
piety was sincere and unaffected, but greatly sullied by the 
prejudices of the age. His crusading expeditions were not 
ihe only instances of his intolerance* for he continued the in- 
10 



no 



HISTORY OF FRANCE 




Punsrsl of St. Louis. 

quisition at Toulouse, and joined in the persecution of the 
unhappy Albigenses. Be was so much attached to monastic 
institutions that he intended at one time to become a monk, 
and was with difficuhy disseadeo by his son and brother. To 
the lower ranks of his subjects he was deservedly dear; he 
afforded them protection agauibt the nobles, and appointed a 
day in every week for receiving and examining their petitions. 
He also increased the municipal pnvileges of cities and towns, 
established a judicious system of polu".e, and encouraged com- 
mercial enterprise. His most valuable bequest to his subjects 
was a code of laws containing many jnJicious regulations.* 

* The reign of Saint Louis may be conoiileTed the golden age of 
religious communities in France. He founded several new monas- 
teries, and enlarged the revenues of othero. He was constantly sur- 
rciir.ded by monks, who inspired him with a blind confidence in all 
they did. The king was even anxious to enter the cloister, but be- 
ing prevented by the remonstrances of his family, he contented 
himself with practising the austerities of a monastic life. He kept 
all the fasts of the church in their utmost rigour, frequently per- 
formed severe penance, and even suffered himself to be whipped 
by his confessor. 

The following is the extraordinary list of relics which he pur 
chased from the emperor Baldwin : — 1. Our Lord's croivn of thorns. 
i. Part oi cne true cross. 3. A cross called the Crosis of Triumph. 



LOUIS IX. Ill 

Finally though he does not appear to have quite deserved the 
title of saint, it is certain that the name has been given to 
many of inferior merit. 



Questions 

1. Were there any remarkable events in the reign of Louia 

VIII. ? 

2. Who became regent after his death? 

3. How did Louis IX. behave after his accession? 

4. Did he meet with any enemies? 

5. On what expedition did he resolve? 

6. Was there much time consumed in preparing for the cru- 

sade? 

7. Where did the French land ? 

8. Into what errors did they fall? 

9. Why were they defeated at Massoura ? 
10. Did they meet with any additional losses .- 
IL How was the king made prisoner? 

12. Where was his queen at this time? 

13. What circumstances induced him to return to France? 

14. How did he exert himself to remedy the evils under which 

that country was suffering? 

15. BetM'een what parties was he chosen as mediator? 

16. Did he enlarge his hereditary dominions? 

17. What events led to the invasion of Naples, by Charles of 

Anjou ? 

18. Did any thing remarkable occur at the execution of Conradin ? 

19. Was Louis di3<"0uraged by his ill-success in his first crusade? 

20. What calamil'ss destroyed the second expedition against the 

infidels ? 

21. Who took '.>'.e command of the remnant of the French army? 

22. What W3'j the character of Louis IX.? 

oecause it was carried before the Christian emperors in battle. 4. 
■^ome blood of Jesus Christ. 5. The clothes in which he was wrap- 
ped in his infancy. 6. Some blood that flowed from a miraculous 
image when struck by an infidel. 7.- The chain with which Christ 
vas bound. 8. The holy tablecloth. 9 A piece of the holy 
sepulchre. 10. Some of the virgin's milk. 11. Part of the head, 
of the lance by which Christ was pierced. 12. Part of the purplo 
robe. 13. The reed given to Christ as a sceptre. 14. Part of the 
sponge dipped in vinegar. 15. His grave-clothes. 16. The towel 
with which he wiped the feet of the apostles. 17. The rod of 
Moses. 18. The top of the head of St. John the Baptist. 19. The 
Bkuiis of St. Blaise, St. Clement, and St, Simon. 



112 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Philip the Bold. 



CHAPTER XII. 



PHILIP THE HARDY AND PHILIP THE FAIR. 



" Cruelties you 've practised, 
Practised on us with rigour, this hath forced us 
To shake our heavy yokes off; and if »edres3 
Of these just grievances be not granted us. 
We'll right ourselves, and by strong ha id defend 
What we are now possessed of. 

Massutser 

1. Phit.ip III. was twenty-five years old at the um« 
of his father's death, but as he was sick of the disease 
which caused the death of Louis, Charles of Anjou 
took the command of the French army, and defeated every 
attack of the Moors. When Philip was recovered, he wisely 
resolved on withdrawing his forces from Africa. Peace was 
concluded with the king of Tunis, on condition that he 
should defray the expenses of the war, permit the public ex 
ercise pf Christianity in his dominions, liberate all his captives 



A. D. 

1270. 



PHILIP IHE HARDY. 113 

und pay an annual tribute to Charles of Anjou. This was 
the last crusade ; these wars, which had cost the blood of 
two millions, and incalculable sums of money, terminated by 
leaving Palestine in the possession of the Mahommedans. 
2. After Philip had honoured his father's remains with a mag- 
nificent funeral, he applied himself to the affairs of state, but 
evinced in their management little of that spirit which in his 
earlier years had procured him the epithet Hardy or Bold. 
Warm, if not rash, in the formation of projects, tlie vigour 
with which he commenced his undertakings was lamentably 
contrasted with the weakness displayed in their execution 
This instability of character exposed him to tiie artifices of 
favourites, and one La Brosse, who had been his father's bar- 
ber, having insinuated himself into the king's confidence, 
instigated him to the commission of several crimes. 3. On 
the death of his first wife, Philip was united in marriage to 
Maria of Brabant, a princess whose talents and accomplish 
ments gave her considerable influence over the mind of her 
husband. Jealous of this. La Brosse resolved to effect her 
destruction, and on the death of Philip's eldest son, spread a 
report that he had been poisoned by his step-mother. Accord- 
ing to the custom of the age, the queen offered to prove her 
innocence by a judicial combat* Her champion triumphed 
in the lists, and this was deemed a sufficient proof of her 
innocence. 

4. Alphonso, king of Castile, was a monarch so devoted to 
literary pursuits, that he totally neglected the affairs of his 
kingdom ; his eldest son had married Philip's sister, but on 
his death the widow and children were seized on, and impri- 
soned by Sancho, Alphonso's second son, who wished to 
secure the crown for himself Philip undertook the liberation 
of his nephews, but, by the treachery of his favourite, all his 
counsels were betrayed to Sanoho, and he was obliged to re- 
treat without having performed any service. Soon after 
Philip lertrned the treason that had been practised by La 
Brosse, and he immediately ordered him to be executed. 

5. The tyrannical conduct of Charles of Anjou, in 
bicily, had alienated the affections of his subjects; ,n'Q„* 
Peter III. of Arragon had received the glove of the 

• A nun, who pretended to the gift of prophecy, was also consulted 
by the king respecting the queen's guilt; and the testimony of this 
impostor, in favour of the accused, is said to have -roduced a very 
powerful effect on the mind of the king. 

10* H 



Ii4 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

•nurdered Conradin, and was married to the daughter of Man 
frech ; Pope Nicholas HI. was indignant with Cliarles for 
Having refused to give him his daughter for one of his ne« 
pliews; and from tliese circumstances originated one of the 
most ttroeious conspiracies recorded in history. It was de- 
termined to massacre all the French in Sicily at the same mo- 
ment. John de Procida, whom Charles had illegally deprived 
of his property, was the principal agent in preparing this 
horrible tragedy : during two years the measures for its exe- 
cution were carried on with so much secresy, that not a single 
circumstance appeared which might warn the victims of their 
impending fate. 6. In this interval Nicholas died ; his suc- 
cessor was not made acquainted with the conspiracy, for, 
being a Frenchman by birth, it was feared that he would have 
prevented such an attack on the family of his native sovereign. 
The signal for arms was the ringing of the vesper bell on 
Easter eve, whence this massacre is commonly called the 
Sicilian Vespers ; as soon as its fatal knell sounded, the un- 
suspecting Frenchmen were everywhere attacked, and in two 
hours one of that nation alone survived in the island,* whose 
superior probity made him respected even by the assassins. 
Peter of Arragon had waited the event with a considerable 
fleet on the coast of Africa, and as soon as he had learned the 
fjomplete success of the conspiracy, hasted over to Sicily, 
where he was received as its legitimate sovereign. 

7. Peter dreaded the power of the king of France, who 
was greatly attached to his uncle, and in order to gain time, 
sent Charles a challenge to meet him, and decide their pre- 
tensions to Sicily by single combat. Charles, more chival- 
rous than wise, accepted the challenge; and, on the morning 
of the appointed day, appeared on the ground that had been 
specified, but waited in vain for his antagonist; at length the 
count of Anjou, wearied out, departed. Late in the evening 
of the same day Peter came, and satisfied with having made 
this mock appearance, returned from the field of battle with 
the utmost speed, pretending that he was afraid of being ar- 
rested and detained by the king of France. But during the 
absence of Cliarles, the Neapolitans had revolted, and his son 
had been taken prisoner by De Lauria, the Arragonese admi- 
ral, the most celebrated commander of the time. ■ Charles of 
Anjou in vain endeavoured to retrieve his losses, and died of 
sheer vexation and disappointm ent. 

* His uame was William des Pourcelets, a native of Provence 



PHILIP THE FAiR. 



113. 



8. The pope had in the meanthne excommunicated 
tlie king of Arragon, and given his dominions to i.Vq- 
Cliarles, the second son of Philip. The French king 
advanced with a powerful army to place his son on the 
throne, but his success did not answer his expectations; his 
fleet was captured bvDe Lauria, and disheartened by the mis* 
fortune, he resolved to return home. On his way back he 
died at Perpignan in tlie forty-first vear of his a^e. 9. The 
reign of Philip is not remarkable for anv improvement in the 
territories or government of France : he is said to have been 
the first monarch that granted patents of nobilitv, a preroga- 
tive which he exercised in favour of his goldsmith, who was 
also his banker, 

10. Philip IV., surnamed 
the Fair, obtained the crown 
in his seventeenth year: the 
war with the king of Arra- 
gou still continued ; but, after 
much bloodshed, the son of 
Peter retained possession of 
Sicily and Arragon, while the 
son of Charles of Anjou was 
permitted to keep the crown 
of Naples. 11. This war 
had scarcely terminated, when 
another more furious arose 
out of a trivial circumstance. 
A quarrel having arisen be- 
tween an English and a jS^or- 
man sailor, the latter was 
slain. The Normans cruized 

against the English to revenue the death of their coun- 
trj-rnan ; but they were defeated, and an English fleet 
appearing on their coast, plundered several of their 
towns. Philip summoned Edward I. as duke of Guienne, tn 
appear before the court of peers, and answer for having borne- 
arms aofainst his suzerain ; Edward sent his brother, the ear. 
of Cornwall, to plead his cause, but he being overmatched by 
the policy of Philip, surrendered some towns in Guienne as 
pledges for his brother's appearance, which, when Philip once 
got into his possession, he refused to restore. The English 
engaged the count of Flanders on their side, while Philip per- 
snaded the king of Scotland to espouse his cause. 12. Thia 




Pliilip the Pair. 



A. D. 

1293. 



116 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

war was faLal to the allies on both sides ; the principals en- 
cred into a treaty of peace which was cemented by a double 
marriage, Edward espousing Margaret, sister to the king of 
France; and his son, afterwards the unfortunate Edward II., 
was married to Philip's daughter Isabella. Edward then di- 
rected his whole strength against Scotland, which he easily 
subdued; and Philip sent his uncle, Cliarles of Valois, to at- 
tack Flanders, which was unable to make any effective re- 
sistance. The count of Flanders was in the decline of life ; 
he had served in the crusades under Saint Louis, and believing 
that he had therefore some claim on the moderation of France, 
he obtained a safe conduct from Charles of Valois, and pro- 
ceeded to Paris. Philip, contrary to the law of nations, 
threw him into prison, and the Flemings, partly by bribes, 
and partly by force, were completely subjected to the French 
crown. 

13. But Philip the Fair had soon to engage with a more 
formidable enemy, pope Boniface VIII., whose manner of ob- 
taining the papal crown is the best description of his charac- 
ter. He persuaded Celestine V., who, with all the sanctity 
of an anchorite, was the most simple of the human race, to 
abdicate an employment for which he was totally unfitted, 
and then got himself elected in his room. He afterwards 
confined the virtuous Celestine in a vile prison, and had him 
put to death. No one was ever more intoxicated with the 
chimerical pretensions of the Church of Rome to universal 
empire than Boniface ; he sent his orders to all crowned 
heads as if he had been their legitimate sovereign. 14, But 
the obstinacy of Philip was fully a match for the violence of 
Boniface ; when summoned by the pope to appear at Rome 
and answer for his invasion of Flanders, Philip treated the 
insolent message with merited contempt, and thus provoked 
the anger of the pontifl^, who wanted only an opportunity of 
venting his indignation. This he soon obtained ; Philip see- 
ing his resources exhausted, insisted that the clergy should 
bear a part of the burdens of the state ; they, on their part, 
claimed their privilege of exemption, and appealed to Rome. 
15. Boniface forthwith published a bull, prohibiting the clergy, 
or any religious order, to pay any tax whatever without the 
pope's special permission ; and all who either paid or received 
such tax were declared to be excommunicated. Philip in his 
turn issued an edict, prohibiting the exportation of money 
from the kingdom, a severe stroke against the court of Rome, 



PHILIP THE FAIR. 117 

which annually obtained enormous sums from France. Boni- 
face declared by another bull, that if the prohibition extended 

o him and the clergy it was madnpss, as no secular princes 
had any authority over them. The king retorted by a spirited 
manifesto, that as the clergy were members of the state they 
were as much interested in its preservation as the rest of the 
people, and ought therefore to contribute to its necessities. 
The pope replied by a series of bulls in rapid succession, 
each more violent than the preceding, but Philip treated them 
with contempt, and declared that he believed the pope had 
lost his senses. 16. At length, to put an end to this unseemly 
contest, Philip assembled the states general; this as- 
sembly consisted of tiie clergy and nobles, to whom lono* 
Philip, for the first time, added deputies from the com- 
mons. The states general unanimously asserted the inde 
pendence of the crown, but in their declarations of attach 
ment to the king, most of the clergy inserted the following 
clause; saving the fidelity due to the pope. Had Boniface 
mingled any share of prudence with his violence, he might 
have had better success ; but his rashness and vehemence 
oply covered him with ridicule. He held a council at Rome, 
in which he procured it to be decided, that the two swords 
mentioned in the gospel were symbols of the temporal a.id 
spiritual authority with which the pope was invested. 17. 
He published the bull wliich, from its two first words, is com- 
monly called Unam Sanctum, in which it is declared, that 
" the temporal sword ought to be emp! jyed by kings and 
warriors in the service of the church, as the pope shall per- 
mit and direct. The temporal power is subject to the spiritual, 
and cannot itself be judged but by God alone. To resist the 
spiritual power, then, is to resist God, unless the two princi- 
ples of the Manichaeans be admitted." 18. Philip again had 
recourse to a council of the states ; before them the chevalier 
de JVagaret, advocate-general, accused the pope of simony, 
heresy, and magic, and insisted on the necessity oi his depo- 
sition. Boniface, on his part, put the kingdom under an in- 
terdict, and offered the crown of France to Albert of Austria, 
whom he had hitherto treated as a rebel and usurper, but 
whom he acknowledged as emperor when about to employ 
him as the instrument of his passion. All the orders of the 
kingdom joining with Philip appealed to * future pope and a 
general council against what had been or should be done to 
the disadvantage of the royal authority. 19. Boniface fulini- 



118 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ndterl his bulls against the king and the nation, and was pr©. 
paling another still more injurious to crowned Veads. when 
he was arrested at Anagni by Nagaret and Sciarra Colonna 
The latter, who was the pontiff's personal enemy, loaded him 
with abuse, and even struck him on the face : perhaps Boni- 
face might have been subjected to still greater indigni- 
1 ^"n^* *'®^ ^^^ ""'' ^^^^ people of the town taken up arms in 
his defence, and rescued him from the hands of his 
enemies. The pontiff returned to Rome, but vexation for the 
insult he had received threw him into a fever, and his death 
relieved Philip from his most dangerous enemy. 

20. During the heat of the disputes with Boniface, Philip 
the Fair experienced a sad reverse of fortune. The tyranny 
of the governors to whom the administration of afiairs in 
Flanders had been committed, made the Flemings rebel, and, 
being animated by a simple citizen of Bruges, they massacred 
almost all the French. The count d'Artois, who was sent 
with a numerous army to reduce them, despising them as a 
mob, rashly exposed himself in the year 1302, when he lost 
the famous battle of Courtrai, where he and the flower of the 
French nobility fell. So many knights were slain, that four 
thousand gilt spurs remained with the enemy as monuments 
of their victory. 

21. The king marched in person to exact vengeance for his 
loss, but his first campaign was ineffectual, and though ho 
obtained a great victory the following year, the revolters re- 
turned so often to the charge, that the king exclaimed, '' I 
believe it rains Flemings." 22. A treaty was at length made, 
by which it was agreed that tlie count of Flanders should be 
restored to his dominions on condition of his acknowledging 
the king of France as his suzerain, and thus, after torrents of 
blood were shed, matters reverted to their original situation. 
Nearly at the same time, Robert Bruce expelled the English 
from Scotland, and thus these unjust aggressions, which com- 
menced at the same time, had the same disgraceful termination. 

23. Though Benedict XI., the successor of the 
, ■ ■ violent Boniface, had absolved Philip the Fair from the 
' excommunication, that haughty and revengeful prince 
was not yet satisfied. After the death of Benedict, the cardi- 
nals being divided into two parties, he caused the votes to fall 
upon Bertrand de Got, a native of Gascony, devoted to the 
interests of France. The principal bulls of Boniface were 
suspended or annihilated, and a prosecution '■onui>enced 



PHILIP THE FAIR. 



119 



against his memory. The council assembled at Vienna ^ ^ 

for this extraordinary trial acquitted tne deceased pon- ^^^^ 

titf of heresy, and refused to investigate the other ' 

charges. Two Spanish knights offered to vindicate his 

memory by judicial combat; a strange proposition to make 

in a council ! 

24. The Templars, a military 

and religious order instituted for 

the recovery of Palestine, had 

rendered themselves odious by 

their riches, pride, and debauch- 
ery ; their immense possessions 

had excited the cupidity of Philip, 

and he prevailed on the 

pope to unite with him i.Ja.^ 

for their destruction. 
Under the pretence of consulting 

about a new crusade, they were 

summoned to meet at Paris, and 

no sooner had they assembled, 

than they were all arrested and 
, thrown into prison. They were 
accused of the most horrid, but 
at the same time the most absurd 
crimes, and were tortured into confessions. These they 
afterwards retracted, and were in consequence sentenced to 
death as relapsed heretics and traitors. 25. Fifty-seven of 
the knights were burned alive, and after some delay, James 
de Molai and three others were put to death by the most ex- 
cruciating tortures, protesting the innocence of the order with 
their last breath. The property of the Templars was nomi- 
nally transferred to the Hospitallers, now called the kniglits 
of Malta, but the greater part of it was retained by their per- 
secutors. 

26. The expenses of the crusades and other wars, had so 
impoverished the royal exchequer, that Philip debased the 
coin to recruit his finances ; an expedient which produced 
incalculable evils. Some of his regulations were, however, 
more valuable ; he gave form and permanency to the courts 
of justice, which the French call parliaments ; he introduced 
into them legists, or men of the law, by whose report causes 
were decided, and raised the legal professiDU to its proper im- 
portance in the state. 




A Kniglil Templar. 



(20 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



27. If we were to judge of the national manners from those 
if the court during this reign, the following anecdote must 
^ive us a dreadful idea of them. Before the death of Philip 
the Fair, the wives of his three sons were accused of adultery 
Onfc of them was strangled in prison ; the second escaped by 
•aying that her marriage was null on account of kindred ; and 
the third was reconciled to her husband. 

28. Pliilip died by a fall from his horse while hunting, in 
the 46th year of his age and 28th of his reign. 

39. It was during this reign that the league of Swiss inde- 
pendence was formed. The emperor Albert of Austria, seeing 
the spirit of liberty spreading among his subjects, thought 
that he could stifle it by the rigours of a despotic government. 
Three cantons, that of Schvveitz, which gave name to the en- 
tire confederacy, and those of Ury and Underswalden leagued 
together in 1307, to free themselves from an odious yoke, 
Knd after a series of brilliant victories, succeeding in establish- 
ing a free constitution. 



Questions. 

1. How were the crusades terminated* 

2. Did Philip prove a good monarch? 

3. What remarkable trial took place in his reign 7 

4. Why was the king's favourite, La Brosse, executed ? 

ft. By whom was the plot formed to drive the French out of 
Sicily? 

6. What were tlie Sicilian vespers? 

7. What finally became of Charles of Anjou? 

8. To whom did the pope next give the crown of Sicily? 

9. What cliange was made by Philip in the French constitution ? 

10. How did the Sicilian war terminate? 

11. Whence originated the war between France and England? 

12. How did this war terminate? 

13. What was the character of pope Boniface? 

14. From what causes sprung the quarrel between Philip and tha 

pope ? 

15. Hew was the contest carried on? 

16. By what means did Philip endeavour to put an end to tha 

dispute ? 

17. For what is the bull Unam Sanctum remarkable ? 

18. What charges did Philip bring against the pope? 

19. How did this end? 

20. What reverse of fortune did the French experience about thli 

time? 
9w Did the Flemings resist the French vigorously? 



PHILIP THE FAIR. 



121 



22. WLat two nations lost and recovered theii liberty at the same 

time? 

23. Was the memory of pope Boniface's bulls efl'aced by his death? 

24. What religious and military order was persecuted by Philip 

and the popel 

25. How were the knights treated 7 

26. Did Philip introduce any new institutions? 

27. What circumstance shows the depravity of the court? 

28. What was the age of Philip at his death ? 

29. Did any nation about this time assert its independense ? 




Huiitsioaii and Valet of Philip tbe Fair. 



12 



122 



HISTORY OF FRANCS. 




Louis X. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



LOUIS THE QUARRELSOME. — PHILIP THE LONG 
CHARLES THE FAIR. 

In quick succession xegal forms pass by, 

Their pride, their power, but creatures of the day, 

Like the bright meteor of a summer sky, 

Their short-lived glory dies and fades away. 

Coo ex. 

1. Louis X., surnamed HutJn, or the quarrelsome, 
' ' succeeded his father, and commenced his reign with 
' an act of" injustice, sacrificing the superintendant 
Marigni, who was persecuted by the pubhc haired, and un- 
justly accused of being the author of the national misery. 
Some Italian financiers, for the French were too ignorant to 
transact the business of the revenue, had caused the coin to 
be debased during the late reign, and this pernicious system 
was attributed to Marigni. Magic made one of the articles 
of his indictment, and absurdity served instead of proofs 



LOUIS THE QUARRELSOME. 



123 



The count de Valois, uncle to the king, and the minister's 
personal enemy, caused him to be condemned without a 
hearing, and hanged as if he were a worthless criminal. His 
^eath was in some degree avenged by the remorse with which 
the count was seized, and even the people were afflicted at 
his execution. 

2. In the mean time, money was wanted to supply the 
exigencies of the state ; and the same expedients which had 
occasioned disturbances on former occasions, could not be 
repeated. A scheme was therefore conceived to sell liberty 
to the inhabitants of the country, who were still serfs, bound 
to the soil, and could not leave the lands of their lords, or 
dispose of their property. 3. The king's edict for the general 
enfranchisement, says, " according to the law of nature every 
man is horn free ;" an expression the more remarkable, as 
that natural right w^as obliged to be purchased ; and what 
appears rather whimsical, numbers who were not desirous of 
freedom were actually compelled to purchase it against their 
will. 4. Louis engaged in war with the Flemings, and formed 
the siege of Courtray, but the elements conspired against him ; 
famine also appeared in his camp, and he was compelled to 
withdraw his army. He died the following year, not without 
some suspicions of poison. 

5. After the death of 

Louis, a great difficulty ,oiA 
' , ° , ■' 1316. 

arose about the succes- 
sion. The queen was delivered 
of a son, w\\o lived only eight 
days ; and the duke of Burgundy 
maintained that Joanna, the king's 
daughter, ought to succeed ; but 
the three estates of the realm de- 
cided that, according to the Salic 
law, no female could inherit the 
crown of France. They there- 
fore elected Philip V., surnamed 
the Long, brother to the late king. 
6. This did not extend to any 
other countries, nor even to the 
grand fiefs. Joanna, whose claim 
iiad been rejected, was acknow- 
ledged queen of Navarre, which 
thus became again separated from 
France. 




Philip the Long. 



124 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

7. The Jews and lepers were accused of having agreed 
with the Turks to poison all the wells and springs ; their 
real crime was, that the former had acquired great wealth by 
commerce, and that the charitable bequests made to erect 
lazar-houses or hospitals for the latter, amounted to a very 
considerable ?um. Great numbers of these unfortunate people 
were burned, and their property seized by the king. 

8. During the brief reign of Philip, some good was done, 
and much more attempted. He excluded the bishops from 
parliament, where they had too great influence, in order that 
the ecclesiastical jurisdiction might no longer interfere with 
the civil tribunals. He paid large sums to several barons as a 
compensation for their resigning their privilege of coining 
money, which they had grossly abused. The frequency of 
private wars, and the disturbances which party quarrels con- 
tinually created, had risen to an intolerable height ; and, as a 
remedy, the king compelled the citizens to deposit their arms 
in arsenals, from whence they could not be taken but in his 
wars, and for his service. He proposed to fix an uniform 
standard for money, weights, and measures, through his do- 
minions; but the nobles every where opposed this beneficial 
project, which they supposed to be in some way or other 
connected with a new scheme of taxation ; and while the 
matter was yet in debate, Philip was seized with a quartan 
fever, which soon terminated his existence. 

9. As he died without male issue, his brother 
A99 Charles IV., surnamed the Fair, succeeded him with- 
■ out opposition. The great vassals of the crown were 
summoned to attend the coronation ; all obeyed but the count 
of Flanders, and the duke of Guienne, who was also king of 
England. This was made the pretext for a war on the 
dominions that the English still retained on the continent ; 
and Charles of Valois being sent with a numerous army, re- 
duced Edmund, earl of Kent, brother to the king of England, 
and governor of the province, to such straits that he was 
compelled to surrender himself a prisoner. He was, however, 
permitted to return home, on the condition that if the king 
of EnglarJ did not, within a certain space, give satisfaction to 
his suzerain, the earl of Kent should come back to his piison. 
10. Edward 11., who was at that time on the throne of 
England, was a prince equally weak and unfortunate ; by his 
attachment to favourites, he had provoked the enmity of his 
queen and nobility, who were secretly preparing to remove 



CHARLES THE FAIR. 125 

him from the throne. When the earl of Kent arrived in Eng- 
land, queen Isabella offered to conduct the negociation with 
her brother the king of France. She took her children with 
ner on this journey, and conducted the negociations with so 
much prudence, that her son, prince Edward, was invested 
with the duchy of Guienne, and the county of Poictou, foi 
which he did homage. 11. But Isabella, after having finished 
this business, refused to return home, pretending that her life 
was endangered by the Spencers, and applied to her brother 
for assistance and protection. Charles at first espoused the 
cause of Isabella, but disgusted with the open preference she 
showed for the company of Mortimer, more than suspected 
of being her paramour, he ordered her to quit his dominions. 
12. Driven from France, she retired to the county of Ponthieu, 
and from thence to Haiiiault, where the brother of the count, 
according to the custom of the times, declared himself her 
knight, and assembled a large body of troops, by wliich she 
was enabled to vanquish and imprison her unfortunate hus- 
band. 

13. The pope during this reign was involved in a long war, 
and made several attempts to obtain money from the Gallicau 
Church, which were successfully resisted by the king and the 
clergy. But the pope, by ofl^ering to share with the monarch, 
induced him to withdraw his opposition, and the clergy were 
forced to submit to their united influence. 

14. Charles of Valois, who had acted so conspicu- 
ous a part in this and the former reigns, was seized iq'oti 
with a disease, which being unknown to the physi- 
cians, was of course attributed to magic ; while a few sus 
pected that he had been poisoned, for during this century the 
crime of assassination by poison had fearfully increased in 
France. On his death-bed he bitterly repented the share that 
he had in procuring the unjust condemnation of Marigni, and 
took every means in his power to efface the stigma that had 
been affixed to his character. It was remarked of Charles as 
of the English John of Gaunt, that though he never sat upon 
the throne, yet his father, broiher, nephew, and son, were 
kings. 

15. Charles the Fair, though avaricious, appears to 
have been a good king; he provided for the due ad- i o'oo 
ministration of justice, and employed no ministers but 

such as were distinguished for wisdom and integrity. He 
died at Vincennes at the early age of thirty-four. 
11* 



[26 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



Questions. 

1. With what act of injustice did Louis X. commence his reignl 

2. How did he endeavour to raise money? 

3. What strange inconsistency was there in his proceedings? 

4. How did he die ? 

5. What disputes about the sticcessicfn arose after his death? 

6. Did the Salic law of inheritance extend farther than the royal 

succession'? 

7. On what pretence were the Jews and lepers persecuted? 

8. Were there any beneficial institutions made in the reign of 

Philip the Long? 

9. What war arose between Charles the Fair and the English * 

10. Who offered to negociate a peace ? 

11. How did Isabella behave? 

12 By whose assistance did she dethrone her husband ? 

13. Did any thing remarkable occur in the church during thit 

reign ? 
14 For what is Charles of Valois remarkable ? 
15. What was the character of Cliarles IV. ? 



^(^W|y 




Charles the r«ir. 



PHILIP OF VALOI«. 



127 




CHAPTER XIV. 

PHILIP VI., CALLED ALSO PHILIP OF VALOIS, AND 
THE FORTUNATE. 

Hopeless and sad they mourn'd their heroes slain, 
The best and bravest on their native plain, 
The king himself in deeper sorrow mourn'd; 
With rage and mingled grief his bosom burn'd. 
Like the grim lion, when his offspring slain 
He sees, and round him draws the hunter's train ; 
("ouch'd in the shade with fell intent he lies, 
And glares upon his foes with burning eyes. 

EpiooiriiD. 



1. The death of the three last monarchs without 



A. D 



male issue, made room for the election of Philip, and j^^g 
procured him the surname of Fortunate, an epithet 
wliich the misfortunes of his calamitous reign strongly co!». 



12B histohy of France. 

tradicted. Another candidate for the crown was Edward III 
of England, and as their respective claims are not very com 
monly understood, it may be useful to state them. Edward 
was son to the sister of the late king, Philip was that mon- 
arch's cousin-german. 2. The points admitted on both sides 
were, that a nephew was a nearer relative than a cousin, and 
that no female could inherit the crown ; but on the part of 
Edward,* it was contended, that though his mother could not 
have ascended the throne, yet as her claim was only barred 
by the incident of her sex, she could transmit her claim to 
her next male representative, who would, therefore, possess 
the right free from the disqualification. On the part of Philip, 
it was asserted that the exclusion of females was absolute, 
that Isabella consequentlv never had a right to the throne, 
and therefore could not transmit that which she never pos- 
sessed. The peers and great barons of France were assem- 
bled to decide this great question ; Robert d'Artois, count de 
Beaumont, warmly supported the cause of Philip, and finally 
prevailed in having him acknowledged as sovereign. 

3. This reign was almost one continued series of wars ; 
the first in which Philip engaged was with the Flemings, who 
had expelled their count and his principal nobility The very 
day after his coronation, Philip advanced against these insur- 
gents, accompanied by the king of Bohemia, and the count 
of Hainault. The Flemings took up a strong position on the 
mountains near Cassel, and when they saw the French en- 
camped in the valley below, undertook an enterprise of great 
hardihood, which was very near being crowned with success. 
Dividing their army into three bodies, they made a desperate 
attempt to break into the French camp and seize the three 
leaders ; the French, however, were on the alert, and the three 
parties, overwhelmed by superior numbers, suffered very se- 

* When Edward assumed the arms of France, he explained his 
ilaim to them in the following Leonine verses, — 

Anglorum regno sum ego rex jure paterno, 

Matris jure quidem Gallorum nuncupor idemj 

Hinc est armorum variatio justa meorum. 
Tc this specimen of royal reasoning in verse, a Frenchman r» 
^lied in the following lines, — 

Prcedo regnorum qui diceris esse duorum, 

Regno materno privaberis atque paterno, 

Mater ubi nullum jus, natus non habet ullum; 

Hinc est armorum variatio stulta tuorjm. 



PHILIP OF VALOIS. 129 

verely ; but such was their (Jetermined valour, that they main- 
tained the fight until night, and Philip dreading their despair, 
drew off his troops to allow them an opportunity of retreat 
ing. 4. In consequence of this victory, all Flanders sub- 
mitted to the victorious monarch ; several of the towns were 
dismantled, others deprived of their municipal privileges, and 
compelled to receive foreign garrisons ; the leaders of the in- 
surgents were driven into banishment, and thus the country 
was reduced to apparent tranquillity; but there remained a 
bitter hatred of the invaders in the breasts of the population, 
which only waited for an opportunity to burst forth with 
fresh violence. 

5. The delay of Edward to perform homage for the duchy 
of Guienne created suspicions in the mind of Philip ; he 
therefore sent an embassy to England, summoning him as hig 
vassal to appear under pain of forfeiting his fief Edward on 
this assembled his council; the state of the kingdom com- 
pelled him to temporize ; the nation was still distracted b}' 
the intrigues between the queen-dowager and Mortimer; the 
Scots under the Bruces were a powerful nation, and in close 
alliance with France; Edward, therefore, saw that the time 
was not yet arrived for preferring his claim, and resolved to 
wait for a more favourable opportunity. 6. Having privately 
made a protestation to his council that he reserved his claim 
to the throne of France, he promised that he would in a short 
time proceed to Philip's court, and there perform homage 
similar to his predecessors. Accordingly, in a short time Ed- 
ward went to Amiens, where Philip, accompanied by the kings 
of Bohemia and Majorca, made the most brilliant preparations 
for his reception. 7. The English monarch acknowledged 
himself a vassal to the crown of France in general terms, but 
absolutely refused to perform liege homage ;* Philip insisted 
on this important ceremony, and Edward, either fearing, or 
pretending to fear, that he would be detained as a prisoner, 
privately returned to England. Soon after, dreading that 
Philip might seize on Guienne, he executed letters patent 
sealed with the great seal of England, in which he acknow- 
ledged that, as duke of Guienne, he owed liege homage to the 
king of France. 

* The important phrase used in liege homage was, "I becomt 
your man," a humiliating expression which Edward was naturally 
inwilling to use. 

I 



130 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

8. Philip, believing that his throne was now perfectly se« 
cure, prepared to embark on a new crusade, and for this pur- 
pose levied considerable sums on the nobles, clergy, and 
people. One of his taxes, that on salt, called the gahelle^ 
was particularly obnoxious ; in allusion to it, Edward called 
Philip the inventor of the Salic law. 9. But the money 
which he had raised for this purpose was soon diverted to 
other objects. 10. Several circumstances occurred nearly at 
the same time, adverse to Philip and favourable to Edward, 
which induced the latter to assert his claim to the crown of 
France, and to prepare for an invasion of that kingdom. Ro- 
bert of Artois, to whom Philip was in a great degree indebted 
for his crown, had been deprived by the king of the county 
of Artois, and in consequence of some rash expressions of 
indignation, had been driven out of the kingdom. The Fle- 
mings, enraged by the loss of their privileges, were eager to 
engage in a new insurrection ; and de Montfort, a claimant for 
the duchy of Brittany, saw that he could not succeed without 
the aid of England, as his competitor was a favoured cousin 
of the French king. At the same time, Edward, by the im- 
prisonment of the queen-dowager, and the execution of her 
paramour Mortimer, had restored tranquillity and order to 
England, while his signal victory over the Scots had freed 
him from all dangers on that side. 

11. The war that now broke out is remarkable for 
. ■ ■ the numerous instances of chivalrous heroism it exhi- 
bited, and on that account its history is valuable, as 
throwing some light on the state of society and manners pro- 
duced by the institution of chivalry. No sooner had Edward 
and his allies resolved on the war, than they severally wrote 
challenges to Philip, and sent them to him by a bishop ! Sir 
Walter Manny, without waiting for a declaration of war, in- 
vaded France on the side of Flanders, and by the successes 
that he obtained, both inspired the English with fresh courage, 
and induced the Flemings openly to embrace the quarrel. 12. 
The principal person employed by Edward to stir up the 
people of Flanders was Jacob Van Arteveld, a rich merchant, 
whose great wealth gave him more influence than was pos- 
sessed by any nobleman at the time; he prevailed on the 
towns to declare in favour of England, and when some scru- 
pled to violate the allegiance they had so lately sworn, Edward 
assumed the title and arms of king of France^ and thus quieted 
their consciences. 



PHILIP OF VAI.OIS. 



131 



13. Philip having entered into alliance with the king of 
Castile, obtained from him the aid of a fleet, which, united 
with his own, dreadfully ravaged the coasts of England ; but 
being soon after met by Edward, near the Scheldt, a fierce 
engagement ensued, in which the French were defeated, with 
the loss of half their vessels and twenty thousand men. 14. 
Edward followed up this victory by attacking several towns 
on the borders of Flanders ; but in the midst of his suc- 
cesses he consented to a truce, which by the interference of 
a papal legate was protracted for two years. 

15. The waragaif' 

A. D 

broke out on the ioa{ 

side of Brittany. 
John de Montfort had been 
taken prisoner by his rival, 
and sent a prisoner to Paris , 
Charles of Blois thought 
that his triumph was secure, 
but Margaret, countess of 
Montfori, one of the great- 
est heroines that the world 
has produced, defended the 
sinking cause of her hus- 
band, and with unexampled 
mlrepidity, prepared for a 
desperate resistance. 16. 
At length she was shut up 
in the castle of Hermebond, 
and so closely besieged that 
every chance of escape 

seemed cut off: she had J°h'i de Mont'--' and his Countess. 

even commenced to treat of a surrender^ Dm turning once 
more an anxious glance to the sea, she saw in the distance 
the English fleet, under Sir Walter Manny, coming to her re- 
lief; ail tlioughts of yielding were given up, and that evening 
Hermebond was relieved. The siege, however, was still con- 
tinued, but Manny, at the head of a small body of adventur- 
ous knights sallied out, destroyed the engines of the besieg- 
ers, and returned almost without loss to Hermebond. The 
countess was so pleased with this exploit, that she ran out 
and kissed Manny in the street, declaring that he was truly a 
gallant and accomplished chevalier. Charles of Blois sood 




132 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



A. D. 

1344. 



ufter consented to a Uuce, and Margaret passed over to Eng- 
land in order to obtain more effective aid. 

17. A sliocking act of treacliery on the part of the 
king of P^ ranee renewed the flames of war. Oliver <]r 
Clisson, with several other knights of Brittany, hac^ 
accompanied Charles of Blois to a tournament at Paris ; Philip 
SMspectnig that they were secretly attached to the English, 
had them all seized and put to death without even die form 
of a trial. 18. The French nobility were jnstly indignant at 
this infamous proceeding, and withdrew their affections from 
a monarch who had acted with so much cruelty and perfidy. 
Edward on hearing of the event prepared to renew the war 
with greater spirit than ever : he proceeded himself to Nor- 
mandy ; the earl of Derby was directed to attack France on 
the side of Guienne, and Robert of Artois was sent to sup 
port the de Montfort party in Brittany. 19. Although Nor- 
mandy had been so lately a fief to the English crown, its in- 
habitants made a fierce resistance 
to the invaders, and were conse- 
quently treated by them with 
great severity ; having laid waste 
their country, the English mon- 
arch advanced into Picardy, 
marking his path by ruin and 
desolation as far as the gates of 
Paris. 20. At length Philip col- 
lected an army far superior in 
number to the invaders, and Ed- 
ward retreated with the utmost 
speed towards the boundaries of 
Flanders. But the rapid advance 
of the French compelled him to 
make a stand, and though he had 
only 24,000 men, enfeebled by 
fatigue and disease, he resolved 
to hazard an engagement with 
Philip''s army, amounting to 
more than 100,000 men, on the memorable plains of Cre^y. 
21. The king of France had encamped the night 
"|\ ' before the battle at Abbeville, about nine miles from 
■ the field of battle ; the morning of the engagement 
was spent in consultations, and when the resolution to fight 
was taken, the march was made with so much haste that the 




Charles of Blois. 



PHILIP OF VALOIS. 



133 



■*nks were a little disordered. Several other circumstances 
eontribnted to increase this confusion; the sun and wind were 
in the face of the advancing army; an order to halt, partially 
heard and still more partially obeyed, mingled the first and 
second lines; finally a heavy shower of rain damaged the 
bow-strings of the Genoese archers, on whom Philip placed 
his principal reliance. 22. At lengdi about four o'clock in 
the afternoon they came in sight of the English army, drawn 
up in three lines, of which the foremost was commanded by 
Edward the Black Prince, and the reserve by the king him- 
self. 23. Having made a brief pause, the count d'Alengon 
ordered the Genoese archers to begin in the name of God and 
St. Dennis. They advanced in rather a strange way ; they 
took three leaps forward, setting up a shout after each ; and 




EutUe of Cre.;y. 



12 



134 



HTSTORY OF FRANCE. 



when they had given the third spring they discharged their 
arrows. Bnt as their strings had been damaged by the rain 
their shot produced but little effect, while the English archers, 
who had kept their bows in cases, returned a flight of arrows 
so close and well directed, that the Genoese fell into irreme- 
diable disorder. The count d'Alen^on, surprised and morti- 
fied at the conduct of the archers, called out treason, ordered 
the cavalry to ride over the run-a-ways, and fall on the Eng- 
lish lines. This foolish command increased the confusion ; 
the cavalry rode down their own archers, but were in their 
turn entangled among the routed Genoese, while the English 
archers kept up an incessant "hail-shower of shafts," that did 
fearful execution. " There were besides," says an old histo- 
rian, ^ some rough feUozos in the English army, who being 
farmed only with knives, ran out of the ranks when they saw 
a knight dismounted and cut his throat." 24. When Alen9on 

at last freed himself from this 
tangled rout and came up with 
the English line, his troops were 
disordered and out of breath, 
while his enemies were fresh 
and vigorous. The French che- 
valiers maintained the battle 
valiantly, but the total want of 
discipline in their army, the dis- 
order of their ranks, and the 
continued fire of the archers, 
who availed themselves of every 
opportunity, rendered all theii 
valour unavailing. 25. The 
blind king of Bohemia, who 
had accompanied his friend and 
ally to this fatal field, kearing 
the rout, resolved to lose his life rather than fl^, and ordered 
two of liis knights to fasten the reins of his horse to the 
bridle of theirs and gallop with him into the midst of the 
enemy, that he might strike one good stroke. His commands 
were obeyed ; befell in the first line fighting valiantly, and 
the three ostrich feathers which adorned his crest, together 
with his motto Ich Dien, / serve^ were assumed by the 
Black Prince, and" have ever since been the cognizance of 
princes of Wales. 26. Pliilip made several eflx)rts to rally 
his troops, but they were ineffectnal, and at length his at 




Crossbow Man, from an old Picture 
of the Battle of Crecy. 



PHILIP OP VALOIS. 



135 




Earl of Alpucon, killed at Crecr 



rendants bore him off badly 
wounded from the field. The 
batfle continued until late in the 
evening, and several slight 
skirmishes took place during 
the night; but on the follow- 
ing morning the English learned 
the extent of their victory ; 
thirty tliousand of the enemy's 
infantry, and twelve hundred 
knights, amongst whom were 
the kings of Bohemia and Ma- 
jorca, lay upon the plain. 27. 
There appears to have been no 
quarter given in this battle. As 
a signal of his determination 
to show no mercy, Philip in 
the commencement of the bat- 
tle had ordered the Oriflamrae 
to be unfurled, which added, to all the other advantages oi 
the English, the furious courage arising from despair. 

28. The day after the battle was equally distinguished by 
slaughter; large bodies of recruits from the neighbouring 
towns had come to join the army of Philip, whom they be- 
lieved marching to certain victory; these unfortunate persons 
fell in with a detachment of the English, and were literally 
slaughtered without resistance. 

29. In another part of the kingdom, the French suffered a 
similar calamity about this time. John, duke of Normandy, 
son of king Philip, had been long besieging the castle of 
Aiguillon, on the borders of Guienne, and had made a vow 
that he would not depart from before its walls until he had 
captured the place; but the valour of the garrison, and the 
advance of the earl of Derby compelled him to raise the siegre. 
In his retreat, the English, under the command of Sir Wulter 
Manny, harassed his rear, made several important prisoners, and 
compelled him to change his retreat into a hurried flight. The 
earl of Derby being thus left master of the field, reduced several 
towns in the neighbourhood of Guienne, and became as formi- 
dable in the west, as his sovereign was in the east of France. 



Questions. 
1. Who were the candidates for the crown of France? 
S. What were iheir respective claims ? * 



136 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

3. Did the Flemings make any daring attempt on the person ot 

the French king 7 

4. What was the consequence of their defeat 1 

5. Why did not Edward immediately assert his claim to th« 

French crown ? 

6. Had he any reservation 1 

7. Did any dispute arise respecting the species of homage? 
S. What obnoxious tax was levied by Philip 1 

9. Why did he not pursue his project of a new crusade? 
10. Did any circumstances favourfible to Edward occur? 

11 In what manner did the war commence? 

12 How did Edward obtain the assistance of the Flemings? 

13. What naval victory did Edward obtain? 

14. Did he follow up his successes? 

15. Where did the war recommence? 

16. Did any lady distinguish herself by her bravery? 

17. Of what gross treachery was Philip guilty? 

18. What was the consequence? 

19. How were the English received in Normandy? 

20. Where did the rival monarchs come to an engagement? 

21. To what disadvantages were the French exposed ? 

22. How were the English drawn up? 

23. How did the Genoese archers behave ? 

24. Did the French cavalry retrieve the day? 

25. What ally of Philip behaved remarkably in this battle? 

26. How did the fight conclude? 

27. Why was there ao quarter given ? 

28. Did any thing remarkable occur on the following day? 

■iQ. Were the French defeated in any other part of the kingdoM 
about this time? 




Ladies of the Twelfth Century. 



PHILIP OF VALOIS. 



137 




A Knight of the Fourteenth Century. 



CHAPTER XV. 
PHILIP OF VALOIS CONTINUED. — JOHN 



8, Bring up the catapults and shake the walls ; 
We will not be outbraved thus. 

N. Shake the earth, 
Ye cannot shake our souls. Bring up your rams, 
And with their armed heads make the fort totter ; 
Ye do but rock us unto death. 

Beaumont. 

1. The war in Brittany presented a very extraordi- 
lary spectacle ; Charles de Blois having laid siege to . ' " 
Roche d'Arien, a fortress of great importance, the 
countess de Montfort sent a party under the command of sii 
12* 



138 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Tliomas Dagworth, to seek means of conveying relief to the 
garrison. As his party was too small to attack the besiegmg 
army with any prospect of success, he resolved to proceed by 
stratagem, and accordingly ordered a knight named Hartwell 
to beat up the enemy's quarters, and then to retreat towards 
a defile where the rest of the forces would remain in ambush, 
Hartwell attacked the camp, but led on by youthful impetu- 
osity, instead of retreating after having given the alarm, he 
led his little troop into the midst of the hostile lines, where 
they were surrounded, and as they disdained a surrender, only 
two or three escaped. Seeing their plan defeated, the officers 
in Dagworth's detachment proposed to retreat; but he wisely 
remarked, that their success would throw the besiegers so 
much off' their guard, that victory was more certain now than 
ever. After midnight, he advanced to the hostile camp, and 
found its inmates as he had anticipated, rendered secure and 
careless by their late success : a sudden attack surprised them 
so much that scarcely any resistance was made, and Charles 
de Blois remained a prisoner. 2. His wife, emulating the 
countess de Montfort, thenceforward took the command, and 
these two heroines continued to carry on the war in Brittany ; 
but although these contests were distinguished by many traits 
of individual valour, they were not productive of any event 
which produced a lasting effect. 

3. After his victory at Cregy, Edward saw the necessity of 
securing some town which would facilitate his communica- 
tion with England, and for this purpose resolved to lay siege 
to Calais ; but before detailing the events of the siege, it may 
be as well to mention the adventures of one who performed 
there a part equally conspicous and honourable. 4. Sir Wal- 
ter Manny had been engaged in attacking the French on thp 
side of Guienne; he had performed there many actions of the 
most heroic valour, and when the siege of Aiguillon was 
raised, he had harassed severely the duke of Normandy in his 
retreat, and taken several prisoners. Soon after he heard of 
Edward's victory at Cregy, and of his intention to besiege 
Calais ; anxious to serve personally under his sovereign, lie 
went to one of his captives, and proposed that instead of ran- 
som, he should procure a safe conduct for Sir Walter and 
twenty followers through France. The knight to whom the 
ofl^er was made being a relative and favourite of the duke's, 
gladly accepted the offer, and in a short time procured the 
passport. Sir Walter proceeded through the country as fai 



PHILIP OF VALOIS. 139 

as Orleans, bui was there arrested and sent as a prisoner to 
Paris. Aftfir being detained there for some time, Philip was 
at length prevailed on to respect his son's plighted word, and 
not only consented to the liberation of Sir Walter, but invited 
him to a royal entertainment. He then, before finally dis- 
missing him, made him several rich presents, which Sir Wal- 
ter accepted only on the condition, that his sovereign would 
consent to his retaining them. When the gallant knight ar- 
rived before the walls of Calais, Edward requested him to re- 
turn the presents of Philip, saying, '• I trust, cousin, that I am 
not yet so poor, but that enough is left for me and you." Sir 
Walter immediately returned the presents by a young knight 
named Mansell to Philip; the French king refused to receive 
back what he had once bestowed, and JMansell, who was not 
quite so scrupulous as Sir Walter, kept them himself. 

5. The siege of Calais was protracted to an unusual length ; 
at an early period the garrison turned out all useless persons 
in order to spare their provisions, and Edward, with great hu- 
manity, permitted these unfortunate beings to pass through 
his camp. But this was only a temporary relief to the de- 
fenders of the walls ; when they had been shut up more than 
a year, their provisions became quite exhausted ; but^they had 
not quite lost the dauntless spirit which har enabled them so 
long to resist a victorious army, and to baffle every effort 
which the chivalrous spirit of enterprise, that so peculiarly 
characterized Edward's army, had made for their subjugation ; 
a letter \a hich they sent to the king of France, and which 
was intercepted by Edward, will best illustrate their state and 
their feelings. 

0. " Sachez, tres-doule seigneur, que vos gentz in Caleys 
ont mangez leurs chevals, chiens, et ratz, et nest remit rien 
pour leur vivre, sinon chescun mange aultre. Par quey tres- 
honeurable seigneur, si nous ne eymes hastife succoure la 
ville est perdue ; et nous sommes toutz accordes, si nos ne 
eymes eyde, de yesser et mourir sur nos ennemis, en honneur, 
plus tost que dedens mourir par defaulte." 

" Know, dread lord, that your people in Calais have eaten 
their horses, dogs, and cats, and there is nothing left for their 
support unless they eat each other. Wherefore, honourable 
lord, if we have not hasty succour the town is lost, and we 
are all agreed if we do not receive aid, to go and die honour- 
ably over our enemies, rather than perish here by hunger." 

7. Edward transmitted this letter to Philip v,'ith an insult 



]40 hlSTOKY J>P FRANCE. 

\ng message to hasten to ^he relief of his subjects. The 
F'rench king immetliately asjeiiiWed all his forces and marched 
to raise the siege, but when he arrived before Calais, he found 
the besiegers so strongly entrenched, that he could not attack 
them with any prospect of success. In vain did he send 
heralds to Edward, offering to fight him in a fair field", the 
challenges were treated as Philip had himself previously- 
treated similar messages ; they were answered by a declara- 
tion that Edward would not relinquish the advantages of situ- 
ation. Finding all his efforts ineffectual, Philip was obliged 
to draw off all his forces the third day after his arrival. 8. 
The brave defenders of Calais had given way to the most en- 
thusiastic joy when they perceived from their battlements the 
banners of France waving in the distance ; during the inter- 
val of delay, they endeavoured, by various devices, to de- 
scribe their calamitous condition to their countrymen ; but 
when they saw the army retreating witliout attempting their 
deliverance, they broke out into wild shouts of despair, tore 
down the standard of France from their rampart, hurled it 
into the ditch, and unfurled the banner of England in its stead. 
9. When Edward saw this sign of submission, he sent Sir 
Walter Manny to inform the garrison that they should sur- 
render at discretion, but was afterwards prevailed on to pro- 
mise, that if six principal burgesses were sent as an atone- 
ment for the rest, that he would spare the lives of the inha- 
bitants. 10. When this cruel message was delivered to the 
inhabitants of Calais, the whole town resounded with lamenta- 
tions. At length, Eustace St. Pierre came forward and volun- 
tarily offered himself as a victim ; this noble act of heroism 
was imitated by five others, and Sir Walter Manny led back 
the devoted band to the English camp. Edward, irritated by 
the length of the siege, and by the great losses which he had 
sustained before the place, ordered them to instant execution. 
11. Sir Walter Manny and the principal commanders in the 
English army supplicated for the lives of Eustace and his 
companions in the most moving terms, but Edward was im- 
placable, until his queen, Philippa, who had lately arrived 
from England, after having obtained a brilliant victory over 
the Scots, fell on her knees before her husband, and with 
some difficulty procured their pardon. Calais was afterwards 
re-peopled from England, and was not re-laken by the French 
until after the lapse of two centuries. 

12. During this period, several important events had oc- 



PHILIP OF VALOIS. 



141 




Queen Philippa interceding for the Citizens of Calais. 

curred in Flanders; Von Arteveld had promised Edward tliat 
he would procure for his son the title of count of that pro- 
vince, but the Fleminofs, though displeased with their prince, 
were unwilling- to deprive him of his inheritance, and the 
only effect produced by the proposal was to deprive Arteveld 
of all his popularity. His enemies were not slow in taking 
advantage of this, and procured the assassination of the de- 
magogue in a popular tumult. 13. The Flemings, however, 
still adhered to the English cause, and refused to aid their 
count, who warmly supported the pretensions of Philip; at 
length he fell on the field of Cregy, and his subjects, on hear- 
ing the news, sent for his son from Paris. When the young 
count arrived in Flanders, the burgesses of the cities possessed 
all the real authority, and gave a strong proof of it by con- 
tracting him in marriage to Edward's daughter, without even 
asking his consent. The youthful prince, disliking the 
match, fled to the court of Philip, and was some time after 
permitted by that monarch to conclude a private truce with 
England, which pledged Flanders to a total neutrality. 
14. France was not devastated bv the horrors of 
war alone, a severe famine first afflicted the people, , " * 
and this was followed by the most terrible plague that 
bad hitherto appeared in Europe. It appeared first in China 



142 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

or, ay it was then called, Cathay, and iiaving traversed Asia 
and Greece, attacked the territories of France and Germany, 
where it literally decimated the population. 15. Religions 
fanaticism produced at the same period a new sect, called the 
Flagellants, who asserted that the anger of Heaven could only 
be averted by voluntary tortures; they proceeded through the 
cities and country, lacerating themselves with whips, but at 
kngth their enthusiasm degenerated into robbeiy, and they 
were suppressed. 

16. The war went on but slowly after the capture of Ca- 
lais; a truce was concluded between the rival monarchs, 
which, with little interruption, continued to the end of Philip's 
reign. An attempt was niade to recover Calais, by bribing 
one of the commanders of the garrison, but he, after receiving 
the niDiiey, betrayed the conspiracy to Edward, who imme- 
diately went over with a reinforcement; when the French 
presented themselves before the town, instead of being ad- 
mitted, they were attacked by a numerous party which had 
been placed in ambush, and cut to pieces. 17. In the midst 
of all his misfortunes. Philip had the satisfaction to see the 
province of Dauphiny annexed to the crown of France. Its 
last count dying without issue, bequeathed his dominions to 
Philip, on condition that the eldest son of the French 
, ■ ■ king should bear the title of Dauphin. Soon after, 
Philip, broken down by cares and misfortunes, died, 
leaving to his son a disunited people, and a shattered kingdom. 
18. John, duke of Normandy, succeeded his father, and 
seemed to have inherited his faults as well as his dominions. 
Philip, by illegally putting to death those whom he suspected 
of being attached to the English, had alienated the affections 
of many of his subjects, and John commenced his reign by 
a similar exhibition of crime and folly. The noblemen whom 
the king gave into the hands of the executioner, without even 
the form of trial, were his natural brother, the count of 
Marche, and the count d'Eu ; the causes of his suspicion 
furnish a curious illustration of the manners of the time, and 
are, therefore, worthy of being recorded. 19. James, count 
of Marche, while serving against the Saracens, was accused 
of treason by Visconti, a near relation of the king of Cyprus. 
The loaders of the Christian army fearing to offend either of 
the crowned heads, to whom the disputants were related, re- 
.^rred tfie decision of the matter to Edward, king of Eisgland. 
A'n.iui iiicj looked o'l as the flower of chivalry. 20. Marche 



JOHN. 143 

and Vigconti having agreed to the reference, came to the Eng- 
lish court, where it was resotved that the controversy should 
be decided by judicial combat. Lists were prepared in West- 
minster, and the combat took place in pqfisence of the king 
and a brilliant court. Both warriors were completely locked 
in steel, and wore barred visors over their face ; on this ac- 
count, the lance and sword could produce little effect. 21 
The count de Marche, wearing gauntlets ^gloves cased with 
steel) having spikes at every joint, struck his adversary back- 
handed blows on the visor, through whose bars the spikes 
could penetrate, which Visconti, whose gauntlets were plain, 
could not return. The pain of these blows at length com- 
pelled Visconti to scream, on which Edward called out "Ho," 
and threw down his wardouv, declaring Visconti conquered 
by the laws of arms, and totally at the disposal of his adver- 
sary, 22. The count of ]Mar';he declared that he was satis- 
fied by having thus vindicated his character, and delivered 
over Visconti to the will of the prince of Wales. 23. When 
Marche returned to France, he found the king very indignan'r 
at his having submitted to the arbitration of Edward, the ene- 
my of iheir family ; he apologised by mentioning the higi> 
chivalrous character of Edward, in which he was joined b^ 
the count d'Eu, who had been a prisoner in England, Bm 
the apolocry seemed to John a greater crime than the original 
offence; they were both arrested and privately beheaded. 

24. Among the vassals of France was Charles, king of 
Navarre, who appears to ha?e v/ell deserved the epithet of the 
Bad, which is given him by all ihe French historians; he had 
married one of John's daucfhters, and claimed as her portion 
several fiefs which, being already in the possession of others, 
it was not in the power of the crown to bestow. Suspecting 
that the constable of France had influenced the king to refuse 
his requests, Charles watched his opportunity, attacked the 
constable's residence during the night, and murdered him in 
his bed. 25. Not satisfied with this outrage, he sent a letter 
to John justif;-ing his conduct; the weakness of nis kingdom 
compelled the monarch to temporise, a mock investigation 
-ook place, and Charles was acquitted of guilt. But John 
only waited for an opportunity of vengeance ; he ordered his 
son to court the favour of the king of Navarre, and when 
suspicion was lulled, he arrested Charles and his principal 
friends while dining with the prince-royal. The friends of 



144 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the king of Navarre were put to death without trial, and 
Charles himself sent a close prisoner to Paris. 

26. This treachery produced the most lamentable conse- 
quences to John ; the brother of the imprisoned king, and the 
relatives of the murdered nobleman, applied to England for 
aid in avenging their injuries, and as the truce had terminated 
some time before, the war broke out with greater fury than 
ever. 27 Edward the Black Prince, to whom his father had 
given the duchy of Guienne, assailed John on one side, while 
the earls of Derby and Lancaster, aided by the friends of 
Navarre, attacked him on the other. The Black Prince was 
his most impetuous adversary ; he overran all the provinces 
in the neighbourhood of Guienne, but as he had laid waste 
the country wherever he came, he soon found himself with 
diminished forces at a distance from all his resources, 

A. D. 

,,,'p.^' and unable to retreat with his army through an ex- 
hausted country. 28. In this situation prince Edward, 
with only 8000 men, was overtaken by John, accompanied 
by an army of more than 60,000. 29. The ruin of the 
Prince of Wales appeared inevitable ; he took up, indeed, a 
strong position, but his army was destitute of provisions, his 
retreat cut off, and his enemies need only have remained quiet 
to ensure his destruction. The cardinal of Perigord, the pa- 
pal legate, thought that this was a favourable opportunity for 
restoring peace; he went frequently between both armies, but 
the unreasonable demands of the French prevented all ac- 
commodation, and after a day had been wasted in useless 
negociations, both sides prepared for the memorable battle of 
Poictiers. 

o ,Q 30. The prince of Wales had drawn up his little 
Joka ' band on a rising ground surrounded with vineyards 
and hedges ; in his front was a long and narrow 
lane, running through a thick coppice ; this he lined with 
archers, and at the end of the lane in front of his cavalry and 
men-at-arms, he placed a strong body of archers, disposed in 
the form of a hearse. When the French king saw these ar- 
rangements, he ordered all his cavalry to dismount except the 
German auxiliaries, and a body of about three hundred, whom 
he placed in the van. 31. The English archers were always 
considered the best in the world, and never did they maintain 
their fame better than on this eventful day. The van of the 
French had no sooner entered the lane, than a well directed 
and close fire opened on their flanks and front, which they 



JOHN. 



143 



could neither retaliate nor avoid, so that their/first line wat 
defeated almost before it reached the enemy. The charge of 
prince Edward completed their overthrow, and the cavalry 
was ordered up to their rescue ; but while they were advanc- 
ing, the English archers had gained a favourable position on 
their flanks, a cloud of arrows threw them into confusion, 
they fell back on the Germans, who in their turn, recoiled on 
the second line, and broke its ranks. 32. Edward seized the 
decisive moment to charge, and the cowardly flight of a large 
body that had been left to guard the four sons of John adding 
to the enemy's dismay, there was scarce a moment's resist- 
ance when the French were completely broken, and their 
gallant army scattered over the plain. Bitterly did they la- 
ment the latal order tiiat had deprived them of their horses; 
encumbered by heavy armour, their lines broken, and theil 




13 



Battle of Poictiers. 

K 



!46 HISTORY OF France. 

lances useless, they were trampled down by the Ei'glish ca* 
airy, or swept away by the dense body of men-at-arms who 
advanced under the cover of the archers. 33. John [lad still 
a third division of his army under the command of himself 
and his youngest son Philip, which, being superior in number 
to the English, might have changed the fate of the day ; but 
they were dispirited by the defeat of their companions; they 
were, besides, for the most part unused to fight on foot, and 
being drawn up in close column, they presented an unerring 
mark to the archers. The English, "mad with success and 
drunk with gore," broke this last body by one furious- charge ; 
but the individual valour of John and his immediate attend- 
ants still maintained the fight. 34. The English and Gascon 
knights, who recognised his person, frequently exhorted him 
to surrender, but he refused to yield to any but his cousin, 
the Prince of Wales ; having learned, however, that he was 
in a distant part of the field, he gave his gauntlet to John de 
Morbeck, a gentleman of Artois, whom he had banished some 
years before.* John and his son Philip remained prisoners, 

* The individual heroism shoviri by an English knight in this 
battle deserves to be recorded, especially as his conduct displays 
much of that noble and generous spirit which chivalrous feeling 
frequently produced. The lord James Audley had been long a fa 
voured friend of the Black Prince, and materially assisted him in 
making those arrangements which produced this great victory. When 
every preparation was made, he rode up to Edward, accompanied 
by his four esquires, and stated that he had made a vow to strike 
the first stroke, in whatever battle he should be engaged. Edward 
peimitted him to advance with his four esquires beyond the front 
of the English lines; he proceeded down the lane, and taking post 
under the cover of some trees, patiently awaited the approaching 
vanguard of the French. When they rushed tumultuously into the 
lane, Audley furiously attacked them, and was saved from the con- 
sequences of his hardihood by the French becoming entangled in 
the difficult grountl, and disordered by the heavy showers of arrows. 
When the English charged through the disordered lines, Audley kept 
»till in front, and was one of the foremost who cut through tlie se- 
cond line of the French. Duririg the entire fight he was the most 
conspicuous among the English chivalry, but towards the end of the 
day he was no longer seen in the field. When the fight was over, 
Edward earnestly inquired after his gallant friend ; he was brought 
before him, borne in the arms of his faithful esquires, covered with 
blood, and exhausted by his wounds and exertions. The prince 
complimented him on his valour, and as a reward settled on him a 
ppu.sion of 500 marks annually. No sooner was Audley cairied to 



JOHN. 147 

but the greater part of the French nobility fell. Indeed, the 
slaughter was principally confined to the knights and nobles, 
owing, probably, to tlieir having been deprived of their horses 
before the beginning of the engagement. 

35. The generous Edward treated his royal captive as his 
sovereign ; he refused to be covered or sit down in his pre- 
sence, and even attended him at supper. Afterwards, when 
he brought him over to England, John rode into London on 
a white horse, richly caparisoned with all the ensigns of 
sovereignty, while the victor attended him, mounted on a 
little black pony, as a sign of his inferiority. John was 
lodged in the palace of the Savoy, and was treated rather as a 
king than as a prisoner. 



Questions. 

1. What remarkable event took place at the siege of Roche 

d'Arien? 

2. Who headed the party of de Blois? 

3. What town ditl Edward resolve to besiege ? 

4. Is there any honourable anecdote recorded of Sir Waltoi 

Manny ? 

5. To what calamities were the citizens of Calais exposed 7 

6. How did they describe their distressed situation? 

7. Were they relieved by Philip f 

8. How did they behave when they saw the French king retreat! 

9. On what conditions did Edward offer to spare the town? 

10. Who offered to devote themselves for their fellow-citizens f 

11. How were the lives of these heroes saved 7 

12. Did any thing remarkable occur at this time in Flanders? 
13 Were the Flemings very submissive to their rulers? 

i4. Was France visited by any calamities in addition to the war? 

15. What new sect appeared ? 

16. Did the French attempt to recover Calais 1 

17. What addition was made to the dominions of France in th« 

close of this reign ? 

18. Did John commit any imprudence on his accession? 

19. What remarkable quarrel was left to the arbitration of 

Edward? 

his tent than he sent for his nearest friends, and in their presence 
mar^e over the entire grant on his four esquires, to whose valour and 
ficlelity he declareu himself indebted both for life and honour. 
When Edward was informed of this generosity he not only con- 
firmed the former, but settled a new pension of greater amount on 
Audley, and afterwards spoke of him as the most perfect exatiiplfl 
of what a true knight should be. 



148 HISTORY OF FRANC'l!.. 

20. Where was the duel fought 1 

21. How did the count of Marche obtain the victory? 

22. In what manner did he act towards Visconti? 

23. What evil consequence resulted t 

24. What assassination was committed by Charles the Badf 

25. Of what treaclieiy was John guilty? 

26. Was it attended by any unfortunate result? 

27. What English prince invaded France? 

28. To what danger was he exposed? 

29. Where did the two armies come to an engagement' 

30. How were they arranged? 

31. In what manner did the English archers behave? 

32. How was the first line of the French thrown into con fusion f 

33. Why did not the third division of the French retrieve the dayl 

34. To whom did John surrender ? 

35. How was the captive monarch treated by the Black Pr'-^el 




K'ng John riding into LonooB. 



JOHN. 149 




King John. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

JOHN. — THE REGENCY. 

Within that land was many a malcontent, ♦ 

Who curs'd the tyranny to which he bent; 
That soil full many a wringing despot saw, 
Who work'd his wantonness in form of law ; 
Long war without, and frequent broil within. 
Had made a path for blood and giant sin. 
That wanted but a signal to begin 
New havock, such as civil discord blends, 
Which knows no neuter, owns but foes or friends. 

Bl RO V. 

1. The situation of France after its monarch had 
b^^en taken prisoner, was the most miserable that can . J-1 
be conceived ; the dauphin was young and fiiexperi- 
enced, the officers of the crown destitute both of wisdom and 
patriotism, the nobility intent on serving themselves, the 
generals robbing friend and foe under pretence of supporting 
their troops, and the lower classes of the population, maddened 
by oppression, ready to break out into open rebellion 
When the dauphin assembled the States-general to consult 
13* 



150 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

about the slate of the kingdom, he heard i )thif,, c ' »'■'> 
plaints of the administration ; they refused to ei-.r tst hft 
with the regency, and elected a council of fifty to take charge, 
of the finances. 2. The rapacity of the new government sur 
passed all that had preceded it ; the taxes were levied almost 
at discretion ; those who refused to pay were cruelly tortured, 
and the nation became hostile to the States-general, which 
had sanctioned these exactions, and which protected the tax- 
gatherers in hopes of sharing their plunder. This afforded 
pritice Charles an opportunity of shaking off the yoke of par- 
liamentary control, which he eagerly embraced ; aided by a 
numerous body of the nobility, he expelled the council and 
assumed the reins of government. 3. But his authority was 
only nominal, every noble acted as if he were a sovereign in 
his own domains, every city became a little republic ; the 
citizens of Paris armed themselves, chose as their leader a 
merchant named Marcel, and assumed hoods of mixed red and 
blue as the badge of those who defended the privileges of the 
city. The escape of the king of Navarre from prison made 
matters still worse •, once at liberty, he recovered all his for- 
mer dominions, and became so formidable that the dauphin 
was obliged to submit to whatever terms he thought proper 
to impose. 4. He was invited to Paris, and on his arrival 
there he made a long speech to the citizens on the hardships 
which he had suffered during his imprisonment, his zeal for 
the benefit of the state, and above all his great affection for 
the city of Paris. His flatteries had so great an effect on the 
citizens, that the dauphin found himself totally destitute of 
authority, and was obliged to submit to the insults offered by 
the wearers of the variegated hoods, who had chosen the king 
of Navarre as their patron. 5. On one occasion. Marcel, the 
leader of the mob, rushed into the presence of the dauphin, 
attended by his partizans, seized on three noblemen, whom 
he asserted had given bad advice, ordered them to be massa- 
cred on the spot, and then, going up to the prince, made him 
take off his hat and put on the parti-coloured hood. 

6. While the city was thus distracted by faction, a 
'r. terrible insurrection of the peasantry broke out in the 
country, which threatened the most calamitous result?. 
The nobility, who looked on their serfs as an inferior order 
of beings, treated them with the most savage cruelty; they 
also reduced several to slavery who had purchased their free- 
ilom from the king, until at length human nature could no 



JOHN. (5J 

onger submit, and tne peasants every where broke out into 
rebellion. They avowed their determination to exterminate 
every nobleman and gentleman, and they proceeded to exe- 
cute their resolution with the sternest ferocity. The castles 
of their oppressors were stormed, their wives and children 
ruthlessly slaughtered, every noble who fell into their hands 
was tortured for their amusement, and in fine, every horror 
that could be expected from exasperated barbarians, was per- 
petrated. 7. This rebellion was called the. Jacquerie, because, 
when the nobles plundered the peasants, they called in derision 
any one that complained, Jacques hon homme (good man 
James), not remembering that an injury, sharpened by an in- 
sult, is never forgiven or forgotten. At length the nobles of 
every party combined to check this wide-spreading evil, in 
the suppression of which, England, France, and Navarre, 
were equally interested. The Jacquerie was suppressed, but 
the country was left a desert. 

8. Marcel was doomed to experience the truth of the asser- 
tion, that popular favour is an uncertain support ; being sus- 
pected of an intention to admit the English into Paris, he was 
murdered m a popular commotion, and the crowds, who an 
hour before followed shouting in his train, saw with indiffer- 
ence his b<idy dragged through the streets and suspended from 
a gibbet. 9. The party of the king of Navarre declined after 
the death of Marcel, but that monarch was more enraged than 
discouraged at the event. He assembled a numerous army, 
and assisted by two of the Black Prince's most celebrated 
generals, the captal of Busche, and Robert Knowles, an Eng- 
lish knight, advanced to the walls of Paris ; he closely 
blockaded the city, which was badly supplied with provisions, 
and thus brought France to the very brink of ruin. 10. But 
at this moment, when destruction appeared inevitable, the 
king of Wavarre suddenly offered the most favourable 
terms of peace to the dauphin, and after this unaccount- , ' ' 
able change of sentiment, quietly retired to his own 
dominions. 

11. During all this time, a nominal truce continued between 
the French and English, though it was not much regarded by 
the connuanders of independent companies, and negociations 
were in progress for concluding a treaty. The terms offered 
by Edward were sent over by the captive John to be submitted 
to the States-general, but they were so severe, that the as- 
sembly rejected them unanimously. 12. Edward, enraged at 



152 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

this refusal, prepared for a new invasion of France ; passing 
over to Calais viith a numerous army, he advanced through 
the country without meeting any resistance, and at length 
pitched his camp at Montlehery, within seven leagues of 
Paris. But nothing could induce the dauphin to risk a battle, 
the calamities of Cre9y and Poictiers were too fresh in his 
memory, and he permitted sir Walter Manny and some other 
daring spirits, to ride with impunity to the very barriers of 
Paris, and reproach the chivalry of France with cowardice. 
13. The legate of the pope in vain solicited Edward to listen 
to the terms of accommodation, but a dreadful storm, which 
was believed to be a token of divine anger, proved a more 
efficacious monitor; and Edward sent to the dauphin a 
friendly invitation to appoint commissioners for finally termi- 
nating these destructive wars. 

14. Deputies from the different contending parties soon 
assembled at Bretigny, and as all were anxious for peace, the 
articles were settled within a week. It was agreed, that three 
million crowns of gold should be paid for the ransom of king 
John, one-third immediately, and the remainder secured by 
hostages; that Edward should retain Calais and all his con- 
quests in Guienne, that he should resign his claim to the 
crown of France, and that the allies on both sides should not 
be molested for the share they had taken in these wars. 15. 
As soon as the treaty was signed, John was brought over to 
Calais, and permitted to return to his dominions after an ab- 
sence of four years. 16. He did not, however, long enjoy 
his freedom ; his two sons, whom he had given as hostages 
to the English, broke their parole, and as they refused to re- 
turn, John considered himself bound in honour to go back 
to his prison. His friends in vain attempted to change his 
resolution, he declared that, " If honour and truth were ban- 
ished from the rest of the world, they ought still to be found 
in the bosom of kings." John returned to his old residence 
at the palace of the Savoy, then outside the walls of London, 
and was received in the most friendly manner by Ed- 
A'fid '^^r^- !'''• ^^hile he was endeavouring to settle all 
■ remaining subjects of dispute with the English mon- 
arch, he was suddenly attacked by a disease which proved 
mortal in a few days. His remains were escorted to the sea- 
side by a great number of the English nobility, and after- 
wards conveyed to the cemetery of Saint Denis, the usual 
burial-place of the French monarchs. 18. A httle before 



JOHN. 153 

his return to England, the duchy of Burgundy reverted to the 
crown by the failure of heirs ; and John granted it as a fief 
to his son Philip, surnamed the Hardy, who had so bravely 
*bught beside his father at the battle of Poictiers ; Philip soon 
after married the heiress of Flanders, and thus acquired so 
much additional power and influence, that the house of Bur- 
gundy soon became formidable rivals of the royal family of 
France. 



Questions. 

1. What was the state of France during John's captivity ? 

2. How did the government behave ? 

3. Whose escape from prison increased these evils ? 

4. In what manner did Charles of Navarre endeavour to con 

ciliate the populace 1 

5. What insult was offered to the regent by Marcel ? 

6. By what new calamity was France assailed? 

7. Why was this insurrection named the Jac.querie ? 

8. What became of Marcel ? 

9. Did his death put an end to the power of Charles the Bad ? 

10. What saved the state from ruin ? 

11. How was the war with England carried on? 

12. Did Edward again invade France? 

13. How was he induced to listen to proposals of accommoda< 

tion? 

14. On what conditions was peace granted ? 

15. How long was John a prisoner? 

16. Why did he return to England ? 

17. Where did he die? 

18. What reward did John give his son Philip for his Talnur at 

Poictiars ? 




r54 



HISTORY OF FRANCE, 




Charles V. 



CHAPTER XVII 



CHARLES v., SURNAMED THE WISE. 

ill fated prince! oa Crepy's glorious plain, 

Thou shouldst have fallen amid the lieaps of slain ; 

And not to pale disease a helpless prey, 

Felt lingering life too slowly waste away ! Chook. 

1. Charles had shown great talents for politics during the 
regency, and his accession to the throne was hailed with joy 
by his subjects, who hoped to obtain some respite from the 
calamities with which they had been hitherto afflicted 
Though this king never appeared at the head of his armies, 
yet it was to his prudent arrangements that they owed their 
numerous victories. He was also so fortunate as to obtain a 
general, whose skill and valour made him almost fit to be a 
rival of the Black Prince; this was the celebrated Bertrand 
du Guesclin. a knight of Brittany, one of the brightest orr>a- 



CHARLES V. 155 

merits of chivalry. 2. The king of Navarre and the duke 
of Brittany, not having been included in the treaty of Bretigny, 
continued to maintain a desultory warfare; the former prin- 
cipally relied on the valour of the captal of Buche, whom 
we have before mentioned ; but the captal being defeated and 
made prisoner by dn Guesclin, Charles, of Navarre found 
himself no longer able to maintain a war against the king of 
France. Dn Guesclin was next sent to support the 
cause of de Blois in Brittany, where the count de , " * 
Montfort, aided by the talents of the English general, 
lord Chandos, had recovered most of his paternal possessions. 
In this expedition du Guesclin was in his turn defeated and 
made prisoner; but Charles turned even this misfortune to 
advantage, for when he learned that de Blois was killed in 
the battle, he put an end to the war by acknowledging Mont- 
fort as duke of Brittany, provided that he would hold the 
duchy as a vassal of France. By thus availing himself equally 
of victory and defeat, Charles was enabled to make peace 
with the sovereigns of Navarre and Brittany, and to obtain 
an opportunity for consolidating the strength of his kingdom, 
previous to his intended plan of re-conquering the provinces 
which had b^en wrested from France by the English. 

3. France, however, was still laid waste by other enemies; 
a great number of military adventurers, whose only trade was 
war, had formed themselves into troops under different 
leaders, and supported themselves by levying heavy contri- 
butions on those parts of the country which they thought fit 
to visit. These banditti, whom the English called free -com- 
panies, and the French malandrins, were too numerous and 
formidable to be subdued by force, when it was attempted by 
James de Bourbon, a prince of the royal blood ; he 
was defeated with great loss, and the companies be- ^oaei 
came in consequence worse than ever. 4. But a for- 
tunate circumstance soon enabled Charles to get rid of these 
robbers, and at the same time to render an essential service 
to one of his most valuable allies. 

Peter I. king of Castile, surnamed the Cruel.) on his acces- 
sion to the throne, had treacherously murdered his father's 
mistress, and by similar tyrannical deeds, had provoked the 
hostility of all his subjects; Henry, count Tratnstamora, his 
natural brother, resolved to avenge the wrongs of his mother 
and his country. But not being able to compete with his 
brother unaided', he sought the assistance of the king ot 



156 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



France, alread\' irritated against Peter on account of hia 
cruelly to his queen, a princess of the Bourbon branch of the 
royal family. On his arrival in France, Henry requested per- 
mission to take the companies into his pay ; his request was 
cheerfully granted, and du Guesclin undertook to be ..heii 
eader. He met the commanders of most of the bands, and 
set before them the great advantages of the expedition, ex- 
horting them by every religious motive to atone for their ovi'n 
fiins by punishing the impious Peter, who had been lately put 

under the ban of the church. 
5, The free companies had 
been lately excommunicated 
themselves, and were eager to 
obtain absolution ; the means, 
which under the guidance of 
du Guesclin they took to ob- 
tain it, give us a very strange? 
picture of the times. Advanc- 
ing under his guidance towards 
Avignon, where the pope re- 
sided, they threatened the pon- 
tiff and his court, unless they 
obtained the pardon of their 
sins, and a large contribution 
besides. The pope hesitated 
about complying with the lat- 
ter part of their requisition, but 
the companies soon showed 
such a determination to enforce 
their demands, that his holiness 
was obliged to comply ; and 
the adventurers having thus obtained absolution and money, 
declared themselves ready to follow du Guesclin into Spain. 
6. Peter, deserted by his subjects, was unable to 
jop~ meet Henry in the field, and seeing no other means of 
safety, he fled across the Pyrenees to the prince of 
Wa es, who was then in Guienne, seeking from him protec- 
tion and assistance. 7. Edward, who envied the glory of 
Guesclin, unhesitatingly adopted the cause of Peter, and im- 
mediately led his army into Castile. At his approach, the 
" troops of the free companies," who almost adored the Black 
Prince, at once flocked to his banner; Henry was obliged to 
confide in the undisciplined forces of his own kingdom, and 




^^ 



Bertrand du Guesclin. 



CHARLES V. 157 

these were unable to meet warriors who had oeen so long 
inured to battles. 8. At Najara, Henry was totally defeated, 
and du Guesclin taken prisoner. But the prince of Wales 
had no reason to rejoice in his victory ; Peter refused to pay 
\he expenses of the war, a fearful sickness broke out in the 
English camp, and Edward was obliged to retrace his steps, 
after having exhausted his funds, wasted his men, and irre- 
trievably injured his constitution. He liberated du Guesclin, 
who again joined Henry in an invasion of Castile, when Peter 
was defeated and slain. 

9. The prince of Wales had exhausted all his revenues in 
the Castilian expedition ; on his return, he levied a tax on 
the provinces, which they refused to pay, and appealed to the 
king of France as their feudal sovereign. Charles 
received the appeal, and summoned Edward to appear i qoq 
in Paris and answer for his conduct. The prince of 
Wales refused to obey ; in consequence of vi^hich, Charles 
declared that he had forfeited all the provinces that he held 
under the crown of France, 10. The war on this broke out 
afresh, and the English were every where unsuccessful. Their 
armies indeed laid waste the country and ravaged the fields 
as far as the gates of Paris, but the towns opened their gates 
to the troops of France ; the peasantry concealed their provi- 
sions when Edward appeared, but readily yielded up their 
stores to the soldiers of Charles, and thus every victorious 
march became a real source of weakness. 11. Du Guesclin, 
who had been appointed constable of France, had been the 
first to suggest this harassing mode of warfare, and to him 
the management of it was entrusted. 12. At length, after 
having captured Limoges, Edward found himself so com- 
pletely enervated by disease, that he was compelled to return 
to England, and though he lived three years longer, the state 
of his health prevented him from again seemg the theatre of 
his glory.* 

* The premature decease of the Prince of Wales was >X)ked 
upon by the English people as the greatest national calamity. Hia 
death is thought to have shortened the days of his royal father, and 
broke the heart of that renowned warrior, John de Grielly, captal 
de Buche, Avho refused all nourishment, and was impatient to follow 
his beloved master to the grave. The parliament, though in no very 
good humour, discovered the deepest concern for his death, and tho 
highest veneration for his memory, by attending his remains to the 
sathedral of Canterbury, and by petitioning the king to introduce 

14 



158 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

13. When the Black Prince returned home, the English in 
France were overwhelmed by a long succession of misfor- 
tunes ; the leaders of several companies who had been per- 
sonally attached to Edward, when he was no longer present 
joined du Guesclin : their fleet, under the earl of 

AD . 

,.j-,o Pembroke, was defeated by the Spaniards; the king 
of Navarre withdrew from their alliance; the captal 
of Buche fell into the hands of the French ; and finally, a 
fleet which had been prepared for the relief of some towns 
ihat were besieged, was prevented from sailing by stormy 
weather until the towns had surrendered. 14. Du Guesclin 
died in the midst of his brilliant career, just after he had 
signed the capitulation of the fortress of Auvergne, which he 
was besieging. When the garrison heard of his death, they 
desired the governor to refuse a surrender, but he, faithful to 
his promise, brought the keys of the garrison, and laid them 
as a trophy at the feet of the departed hero. 

15. During this period, war had been re-kindled in Brittany 
by the French king's attempt to annex that province com- 
pletely to the French crown; but de Montfort, supported 
by the people, was enabled to maintain his duchy, and Charles 
seemed to be aware of the injustice of his attempt; for after 
his first vigorous efforts were defeated, he allowed the war to 
linger for a great length of time. Eventually, de Montfort, 
by the aid of the English, recovered all his dominions ; and 
Charles directed his attention to the more honourable and 
useful task of driving the English from their remaining pos- 
sessions in Guienne. 

16. The glories which had adorned the com- 

,0,77 mencement of the reign of Edward Til. were now 
vanished, he was broken down by misfortunes, and 
grief for the death of his gallant son " brought down his 
grey hairs with sorrow to the grave." His successor, Richard 
II., was a minor; the devastation of England by a pestilence, 
and the incursions of the Scots in the commencement of his 
reign, so weakened a government already distracted by the 
jealousies of the king's uncles, that no succour was sent to 
the English in France. 17. In a very short time Charles so 
improved his advantages, that out of all their brilliant acqui- 
sitions, there only remained in the possession of the English, 

the prince's only son, Richard, then only ten years old, >nto iheil 
assembly, that they might have the pleasure of beholding this only 
"•p'esentative of their beloved prince. 



CHARLES V. 159 

Calais in Artois, Cherburg in Normandy, and Bordeaux in 
Guienne. 

18. Cliarles of Navarre had attempted to poison 

the king of France while he was yet dauphin, he re- 10,70 
newed the attempt after the expulsion of the English, 
dreading that the increased power of the king would be di- 
rected against his dominions. To effect this detestable design, 
he sent his son with several attendants on an embassy to 
Paris, but the meditated treachery was discovered; two knights 
who were charged with its execution were put to death, and 
the prince of Navarre, who seems not to have participated in 
his father's treason, was shut up in prison. 

19. The king of France had long been wasting 
away ; it was said that he never recovered the effects . " ' 
of the poison that had been administered in his youth, 
however the physicians kept him alive by opening an issue, 
declaring that when that dried up his case would be hopeless. 
When it did cease, Charles prepared himself for death with 
becoming fortitude, and in his last moments employed him- 
self in directing his sons to persevere in the paths of justice 
and rectitude. 

20. Charles appears to have merited the name of Wise, 
•which has been given him by the French writers ; the state 
of France in the beginning and end of his reign is the noblest 
tebtimony to his character; on his accession, he found the 
throne tottering, the people distracted, the best provinces in 
*he possession of the enemy, and the country almost a desert; 
to his son he bequeathed a peaceful succession, a rich treasure, 
and, above all, subjects thriving and contented. How few 
princes merit such an eulogy ! 



Questions. 

1. By what excellent general was Charles the Wise assisted ? 

2. How did Charles equally avail himself of victory and defeat! 

3. What class of men still devastated France ? 

4. How were they removed from the country ? 

5. In what manner did the free companies obtain absolution' 

6. To whom did Peter the Cruel apply for assistance 7 

7. Why was Edward so ready to comply? 

8. How did the expedition terminate ? 

9. What caused the war to be renewed between die English 

and French ? 



160 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



10. How did the French manage the war ? 

11. By whose advice was this plan adopted? 

12. Why did the Black Prince return home? 

13. What evils overtook the English after his departure? 

14. What compliment was paid to du Guesclin after his death • 

15. How did the war in Brittany terminate? 

16. Why did the English lose their acquisitions in Franco ? 

17. What towns did they retain ? 

18. Did Charles of Navarre succeed in his attempt on the liT* fd 

the king ? 

19. Hew did Charles the Wise die 7 
aO. What was his character ? 




dtisens of Paris in the Reign of CharlM • 



CHARLES VI. 



161 




Charles VI. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

CHARLES VI 



Unhappy king! even by thy pomp opprest, 
Like some rude clown for royal pageant drest, 
Who struts his hour of borrowed state, and then 
Stripp'd of his robes to notliing sinks again — 
How poor, how less than little art thou grown, 
Mean in all eyes, and meanest in thine own. 

Miss Pordxw, 

^. The last reign was short and prosperous, that on 
which we are about to enter was long and calamitous ; , ^^^ 
tlie ambition of the young king's uncles, the licen- 
tiousness of the nobles, the madness of the king, the crimin- 
alities of his wife, and a new invasion of the English, pro- 
duced a series of miseries, if possible worse than any we 
have hitherto narrated. Charles VI. was but thirteen years 
old at the time of his father's death, the regency was entrusted 
to his uncle the duke of Anjou, but the dukes of Burgundy 
14* L 



I(T2 FHSTORY OF FRAMCE. 

ami liourbdii were jealous of liis authoiitv, and anxiously 
eiuleavoureil to obtain a share in the government. For this 
purpose they compelled the regent to consent to the king's 
coronation, after which the States declared tliat Cliailes shonld 
himself assume the administration of atiairs, and be guided by 
the counsels of his uncles. 

2. Joanna, queen of Naples, having been driven from tlie 
throne by her cousin Charles Dnrazzo, had in revenge adopted 
the duke of Ai\jou as- her heir, and soon after falling into the 
hands of her enemies, was strangled in prison. The duke 
of Anjou then resolved to assert his claim to the Neapolitan 
crown, and in order to obtain forces, lie resolved to seize on 
tlie royal treasures which had been collected bv the late mon- 
arch. These were concealed in the castle of IMelun, and the 
secret of the place where they were deposited entrusted to a 
c mJidential servant named Savoisy. The duke prevailed on 
him to betray his trust, and having thus provided liimself with 
funds, he levied an army, and led them across the Alps into 
Italy. 3. This expedition was singularly unfortunate, a few 
successes in the beginning were followed bv such a rapid suc- 
cession of reverses, that in a few months the duke of Anjou 
saw his baggage lost, his army destroyed, and himself re- 
duced to such poverty, that of all his ill-gotten wealth, only 
a single silver goblet was left. He died soon after of vexa- 
tion and disappointment, leaving his son Louis the inheritor 
of his pretensions. 

4. Tliis fruitless attempt proved the source of many cala- 
mities to France ; a promise had been made to the people that 
they should be released from some of the severe taxes which 
had been levied during the last reign; but as the royal trea- 
sures were exhausted, instead of decreasing their burdens, the 
king f >und himself compelled to redouble the imposts, and 
thus prochiceil universal chssatisfaction through the country. 
5. The Flemings, for similar reasons, had revolted against 
their count; he appealed to the king of France for assistance 
as his feudal sovereign, and through the influence of 
.".-,■ his son-in-law, the duke of Burgundy, who had suc- 
ceeded the duke of Anjou in the manaijement of alfeirs, 
his request was readilv granted. 6. Charles headed tlie army 
in person, a decisive battle was fought at Rosbec, in which 
the Flemings were defeated, and their leader, Arteveld, son to 
the former ilemagogne of the same name, slain 7 Having 
U"iumphed over the insurgents in Flanders, Charles lesolved 



CHARLES VI. 



163 




Battle of Rosbec. 

to punish those in his own dominions, who, oppressed by a 
load of taxes, had been induced to commit several excesses. 
On his approach to Paris, the citizens went armed to meet 
him, hoping by this display of strength to inspire the monarch 
with fear. But they did at once too much and too little, — 
they convinced him that they were formidable subjects, but, 
by dispersing on the first summons, they left themselves and 
their city totally at his mercy. Charles entered Paris as a 
place which had been conquered ; he dismantled its fortifica- 
tions, broke down its gates and barriers, disarmed the inhabit- 
ants, and, without any form of trial, put to death more than 
three hundred of the factious by the gibbet, or by tying them 
up in sacks and throwing them into the liver. 

8. Having thus filled the city with terror, Charles sum- 
moned all the citizens of both sexes to a public assembly in 
the courts of the palace. There they were received by the 
king seated on his throne, and addressed on the subject of 
their manifold treasons by the Chancellor d'Orgemont, in 
terms so harsh and threatening, that the whole assembly ex- 
pecting nothing but instant death, threw themselves on their 
l^nees, and earnestly supplicated for mercy. The dukes of 
Berry and Burgundy united in the petition, until at length 
Charles, as if moved with compassion, declared that he would 



104 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

subslitr.te civil for criminal punishment; in other words, that 
he would commit robbery instead of murder. 9. The end of 
this '' tragic farce," as the French call it, was, that the Paris 
ians were obliged to pay more than half their wealth in fines, 
and that the taxes were levied with greater severity than ever, 
10. The duke of Burgundy, on the death of his father-in- 
law, had become count of Flanders, and endeavoured to con- 
ciliate his new subjects, whom commercial wealth had ren- 
dered haughty and turbulent. The greater part of the trade 
of Europe at this time centered in the Low Countries. Bruges 
especially was the depot of commerce ; the treasures of the 
east were brought thither from Italy by the Lombard mer- 
chants, and exchanged for the less costly, but more useful 
productions of northern and western Europe. Their raanu- 
fectories, especially of woollen, were unrivalled ; and the 
wealth which they acquired by their trade had given them a 
consequence and importance which made them proud and 
others jealous. 

IL Through the influence of the duke of Bur- 

- ■ * gundy, Charles was married to Isabella of Bavaria, a 

princess remarkable for her personal qualifications, 

and for every bad disposition which could render her charms 

pernicious. She brought innumerable misfortunes on her 

husband, her family, and the whole kingdom. 

12. Under the weak and despicable government of Richard 
II., England had lost her former eminence, and the French, 
eager to revenge the calamities that had been inflicted on 
them by Edward III., resolved to invade that country, A 
great naval force was collected at Sluys, every vessel that 
could be purchased or hired between Sweden and Flandera 
was collected, and a huge wooden castle was constructed to 
be towed across the channel,, an invention from which great 
advantages were anticipated. 13. But all these mighty pre- 
parations were rendered unavailing by the jealousy of the 
duke of Berry; unwilling that an expedition planned by his 
rival Burgundy should succeed, he detained the fleet at Sluys 
until the sea was no longer navigable; the stormy season 
came on, a great part of tlie armament was destroyed, and the 
wooden castle floating out to sea, fell into the hands of the 
English mariners. The project of an invasion was renewed 
in each of the two succeeding years, and was similarly de- 
feated by the mutual quarrels of the king's uncles and the* 
great nobles 



CHARLES VI. 



165 




Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, and Philip the Good, Dukes of Burgundy 



14. During this period of ineffectual preparation, 

an instance occurred of tlie vengeance that overtakes . ' * 
the guilty even in this life. Charles the Bad, king of 
Navarre, found at length a death worthy of his crimes. Worn 
out by debauchery, he endeavoured to restore vital heat to his 
limbs by wrapping himself in sheets soaked in spirits ; by 
some accident these took fire ; before any assistance could be 
obtained, the fire had reached his vitals ; he lingered for a few 
days in the most excruciating agonies, and at length expired, 
to the great joy of every party by whom his secret treach- 
eries were equally feared and detested. 

15. When Charles had arrived at the age of man- 
hood, he became jealous of the power wielded by his . ' ' 
uncle, the duke of Burgundy, and determined to take 

the administration of affairs into his own hands. The duke, 
with a very bad grace, resigned the delegated authority, and 
had the mortification to see all his friends at once stripped of 
their offices, and their places supplied by the creatures of the 
duke of Orleans, the king's brother and most favoured adviser 
16. Oliver de Clisson, who had worthily succeeded du Gues« 
clin in the office of constable, was the president of the king's 
council, and under his guidance affairs began to assume an 
aspect of tranquillity. But de Clisson had, by some ambi- 
tious projects, provoked the hostility of the duke of Brittany, 
a prince long suspected by the French court, on account of 



166 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the former connection between the Montforts and the Etiglish. 
A nobleman of infamous character, named tie Craon, attempted 
to assassinate the constable in the streets of Paris, and be- 
lieving that he had been successful, fled for safety to the 
count of Brittany. The protection given him by the duke 
afforded some ground of presumption that he had been the 
original instigator of the crim.e. De Clisson, who had teen 
onlv wounded, called loudly for redress, and Charles, ever 
rash and impetuous, without waiting to make any inquuies, 
levied an army, and hastily marched towards Brittany. 

17. On a very hot day in the month of August, 
iQqo the king, wearing on his head a heavy cap of scarlet 
cloth, rode apart from his company, attended only 
by two pages. Weakened by the debaucheries of youth, and 
oppressed by a cumbrous dress, he passed slowly on, almost 
fainting beneath the rays of a sultry sun. Suddenly a tall 
spectre-like figure in black sprung from a neighbouring thicket, 
seized the king's bridle, and exclaimed, "■Slop, king, whither 
are you going ? you are betrayed." Having said these few 
words, he again disappeared among the trees. Nearly at the 
same time, one of the pages, whom the overpowering heat 
had inclined to slumber, let his lance fall against the helmet 
of his companion. This sudden clash of arms, combining 
with the recent warning, was too powerful for the mind of 
the unhappy monarch; in a moment he became raging mad, 
and drawing his sword, fell furiously on his servants. 18 
With great difficulty he was overpowered and secured ; his 
attendants fastened him with ropes on a cart, and in this 
piteous state he was conveyed to the nearest town. His uncles 
had him brought to Paris, and took on themselves the admi- 
nistration of atfairs for some months ; but on the king's reco- 
very, the duke of Orleans again recovered his power, and thua 
commenced the hostility between the factions of Orleans and 
Burgundy, which had nearly caused the utter ruin of thn 
nation. 

19. A strange accident soon after caused a return 
■ ■ of the king's malady. At the marriage of one of the 
queen's attendants, the king and five young nobles re- 
solved 1o appear in the character of savages ; for this purpose 
they prepared dresses of coarse cloth, smeared with pilch, 
and then sprinkled over with loose flax. When they enlere-i 
the saloon, the duke of Orleans took a torch to examine 
their dresses more closely ; a spark fell on the flax, it imme 



niARLES VI. Hi1 

diately burst into flames, and a scene of indescribable confn- 
bIou ensued ; four of the masques were burnt lo death, a tifth 
escaped by phmging into a cistern of water: the king was 
saved by the presence of mind of the duchess of Berri, who 
threw a cloak over him, and kept him in a corner of the 
apartment until the flames were extinguished. This horrid 
scene produced a second fit of insanity, which, with a f'='w 
lucid intervals, lasted during the rest of the king's unfortunate 
life; prayers were offered up, and processions made, medicine 
and magic were both tried, but all the remedies that the wis- 
dom of the age could suggest were equally inefficacious. 
20. In one of the king's lucid intervals, a success- 

• -AD 

ful attempt was made to reconcile for a time the dif- . ' ' 
ferences between France and England ; the sovereigns 
of both met near Calais, and agreed on a truce; in con- 
sequence, Richard married the daughter of Charles, and re- 
signed the towns of Brest and Cherburg. 21. An unfortunate 
event for the English monarch, as it increased the discontents 
among his subjects, who justly dreaded that these ports would 
again become nests of privateers, and harass the English trade. 
22. The dukes of Orleans and Burgundy continued to con- 
tend for the supreme power, and their contests kept the court 
and the kingdom in constant agitation. The disputes of tlieir 
wives aggravated their mutual haired : the duchess of Bur- 
gundy, proud of her illustrious descent and immense wealth, 
looked down with contempt on Valentina of Orleans ; she, 
in ^'9T turn, confiding in her beauty and accomplishments, 
ridiculed the person of her haughty rival. The duchess of 
Orleans was universally esteemed one of the most charming 
women of the time; she had so much influence over Charles, 
even m the most violent of his paroxysms, that her 
enemies attributed her power to magic. A truce of ' ' 
twenty-eight years had been concluded witli the Eng- 
lish, when the aid of the French was solicited i)y Sigismond, 
king of Hungary, against the redoubtable Bajazet, the Turkish 
sidtan, and the count de Nevers, John sans Peur, (John the 
Fearless,) son of ihe duke of Burgundy, led a numerous 
army to his relief. This force was defeated beneath the wall.>» 
of Nicopolis, and tlie flower of the warriors of France were 
slain or made prisoners on that fatal dav. The count de 
Nevers was ransomed by the people of Burgundy for two 
hundred thousand crowns. At length th.e death of the duke 
uf Puigundy, in 1404, seemed to have secured the triuni[)h 



168 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




John the Fearless before Nicopolis. 



of Orleans, but he found the son and successor of his rival & 
Btill more tormidable enemy than the father had been. 23. 
The qi.rren was a warm parlizan of the Orleans' party, she 
was indtea more than suspected of having carried her attach- 
ment to the duke beyond the bounds of innocence, and it is 
questionable whether she did him more service by the aid 
she afforded, or injury by the hostility which her crimes pro- 
voked. Her conduct as a mother and wife was infamous ; the 
tutor of her children was unable to procure the common ne- 
cessaries of life for his charge, and when complaints were 
made to the wretched Charles, he replied, "Alas ! lam not 
better treated." In fact, it appeared that he had passed 
five months without a bed or a change of linen. 24. 
After the kingdom had been long distracted by the 
contending factions, an apparent reconciliation was effected 
between the rivals ; the duke of Burgundy feigned a more 
',han ordinary affection for his cousin of Orleans, lamenteil 



A.D. 

1407. 



CHARLES VI. 169 

the length of time that they had been disunitea, and appeared 
anxious to drown the memory of former hostilities by con- 
tinued marks of favour and kindness. But all this was pre- 
paratory to an act of execrable treachery. While the duke 
of Orleans was going one night to visit the queen, he was 
suddenly attacked by assassins, whom his rival had hired, and 
cruelly murdered. 

25. After this horrid deed, the duke of Burgundy fled to 
his estates, and the widcw of the deceased prince came to 
Paris, accompanied by her three children, to claim vengeance. 
The duke of Burgundy was, however, a criminal too power- 
ful to be punished. When summoned to take his trial, he 
appeared at the head of an army ; a monk whom he had hired, 
pleaded his cause before the council, but his soldiers were ar- 
guments still more powerful; he was acquitted and restored 
to all his former authority. 

26. The young duke of Orleans had married the daughter 
of the count d'Armagnac, one of the most powerful nobles 
of Gascony, and as he gave himself up entirely to the direc- 
tions of his father-in-law, the partizans of Orleans were for 
the future called Armagnacs. At first they were reduced to 
the very brink of ruin by the Burgundians, whose party was 
warmly embraced by the populace of Paris ; the duke 

of Burgundy, by his immoderate use of victory, pro- i /i^ 
voked the hostility of the nobles, and was compelled 
to give way in his turn. He fled to his estates, a royal army 
marched against him, and he was obliged to purchase peace 
on the most humiliating conditions. 



Questions. 

1. Wno was appointed to the regency on the death of Charles V. ? 

2. To what use did the duke of Anjou apply the royal treasures 1 

3. What was his success ■? 

4. Did this pioduco any evil consequence in France? 

5. Why did the Flemings revolt against their count? 

6. Were they succes-jful ir their rebellion'? 

7. Why did Charles march in a hostile manner against Paiis? 

8. How did he treat the citizens ? 

9. In what manner was the business terminated? 

10. How were the possessions of the house of Burgundy incre^ise^ 

at this time ? 

11. To whom was the king of France married ? 

12. Did the French make any attempt to invade England* 

15 



170 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



IS How was it frusirated ? 

14. In what misery did Charles of Navarre die? 
15 To what mortification was the duke of Burgundy subjected t 
€, "What caused a war between the liing and Uie duke of Brit- 
tany 7 

17. By what strange accident were the king's senses affected? 

18. What caused the hostility between the houses of Orleans and 

Burgundy? 

19. How was the king's malady renewed? 

20 On what conditions was peace made between France and 
England ? 

21. Why was the treaty displeasing to the English people? 

22. How was the hostility between the houses of Orleans anJ 

Burgundy aggravated ? 

23. What was the character of the queen? 

24. Of what great crime was the duke of Burgundy guilty? 

25. Was he punished ? 

26.- How was the struggle between the factions continued? 




Ladies of the Fifteenth Centiuy 



CHARLES VI. 



171 




Knight of the Fifteenth Century, in full Armour. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

CHARLES VL— HENRY V. OF ENGLAND. 

Hadst tbou seen, 
Skilful as brave, how Henry's ready eye 
Lost not a thicket, nor a hillock's aid; 
From his hersed bowman, how the arrows flew. 
Thick as the snow flakes, and with lightning force. 
Thou wouldst have known, such soldiers, such a chief, 
Could never be subdued, Socthbt 



1. While the Armagnacs and Burgundians weic 
exhausting themselves and their country by their 
)loody contests, the English were preparing to renew 



A. u 

1415 



172 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the glories of Edward, and make a second effort for the sub« 
jugation of France. The reign of Richard II. had been too 
weak, and that of the usurper Henry IV. too turbulent, for 
any attempts at so great an enterprise ; but on the accession 
of Henry V. the whole English nation so passionately cla 
moured for an invasion of France, that Henry would pro- 
bably have endangered his throne had he hesitated to com' 
ply. With no better excuse than the almost forgotten pre« 
tensions of Edward II f. he published a declaration of war, 
and passing over into Normandy, laid siege to Harfleur. 2. 
The garrison made an obstinate defence for several months, 
but at length their provisions were exhausted ; their suppli- 
cations for assistance were disregarded by the government, 
and they were forced to surrender at discretion. 3. From 
Harfleur, Henry advanced through Normandy towards Calais, 
meeting with little or no resistance, but the heat of the wea- 
ther and the quantities of rich fruits eaten by the soldiers, 
produced a pestilence in his camp, by which numbers of his 
soldiers were destroyed, and the rest gi-eatly weakened. 
n t 94 ^' ^" ^'^'^ calamitous situation, Henry was over- 
, .' ' taken by the constable d'Albret, with an army eight 
times more numerous than his own, on the plains 
of Azineourt. It was late in the evening when the two 
armies came in sight of each other, and the engagement was 
consequently deferred to the following day. On the side of 
the French, there was confidence in strength and numbers, 
" they jested," says an old historian, " at those scarecrows of 
English who could scarcely sit on their famished horses." 
5. Notwithstanding the disparity of forces, two anecdotes 
will serve to convince us that the English and their gallant 
sovereign were not totally destitute of hope. Henry sent a 
Welsh captain named David Gam, to bring him some account 
of the number of the French, and David returned with the 
following report, " May it please your majesty, there are 
enough to be killed, enough to be taken, and enough to run 
away." When Henry heard his brother wish for more men, 
he said, " I would not desire another : if we are to fall, I wish 
not that the loss of our country should be increased ; if we 
are to win, the fewer that share our glory the better." 
The morning of St. Crispin's day saw both armies prepared 
for the battle. The fight, though the odds were so unequal, 
was not long maintained by the French, they were defeated, 
as at Cref;y and Poictiers, by the heavy fire of the archers, 



CHARLES VT. 



173 




The Duke of Orleans, taken Prisoner at Azincourt. 



toH.- h drove their cavalry back on the infantry, and mingled 
botii in remediless confusion. 7. The Duke of Orleans was 
one Mf the prisoners taken by the English. But the victori- 
ous lamiy was unable to maintain its conquests ; sickness and 
the C/imate were enemies not to be resisted, and Henry hav- 
ing with difficulty brought his shattered bands to Calais, re- 
turned home. 

8. It would have been naturally supposed, that the pre- 
sence of a public enemy would have checked the private dis- 
sensions of France; but on the contrary, they seem rather to 
have become worse in consequence. The two eldest sons 
of the king having died within a very short space, Charles, a 
sworn enemy to the house of Burgundy, succeeded to the 
title of Dauphin, and united himself in strict alliance with 
d'Armagnac, who on the death of d'Albret, had been ap- 
pointed constable of France. The queen was the only per- 
son whose authority could counterbalance the weight of this 
party, and the constable resolved to remove her from his 
path. As she lived in the practice of open and avowed 
licentiousness, it was not difficult to find a pretence for put- 
ling her under arrest ; one of her paramours was seized, con- 
victed, and drowned, and she was sent as a prisoner to 
Tours. Thenceforward she was animated with the most im 
placable hatred against the constable, and against the dauphiu 
ber own son, whom, though only sixteen years old, she de- 
tested for having assented to her degradation. 
15* 



174 



HISTORY OF FRANCE- 




Henry V. of England. 

9. The imprisonment of the queen, the unhappy 
, /, J death of two dauphins, the deprivation of a great num- 
ber of officers, the pillage of the open country by the 
unpaid soldiery, and the depredations of the Armagnacs, who 
tven took the plate out of the churches, afforded the duke of 
Burgundy pretexts sufficiently specious for renewing the war, 
under pretence of liberating the king, and tranquillizing the 
nation. At the request of the queen he came to Tours and 
rescued her from captivity 5 thence he proceeded to Troyes, 
where the queen proclaimed herself regent, summoned an as- 
sembly of the states, and had a great seal made, on which 
her own figure was engraved. 10. In so favourable a con- 
juncture the English monarch was not remiss, he invaded 
Normandy a second time, and soon made himself master of 
the greater part of that province. And yet the constable was 
contented to see France dismembered by the English, rather 
than hazard its being governed by his enemy. 11. The citi* 
tens of Paris were become weary of a domestic war which 



CHARLES VI. 175 

exhausted all their resources ; they had not forgotten their 
former attachment to the house of Burgundy, and the Armag- 
nacs had on many occasions violated the privileges of the 
city ; for these reasons when PIsle Adam, a partisan of the 
duke, appeared in the streets shouting, " Peace and Burgundy," 
he was immediately joined by such a numerous body of the 
citizens, that it was impossible for his enemies to make any 
resistance. 12. But the cry of peace was treacherous and 
delusive, a cruel slaughter of the Armagnac party commenced ; 
nor was it confined to them, every man that had a personal 
enemy was designated an Armagnac, and the name at once 
procured him to be murdered. The dauphin was saved with 
difficulty by a faithful friend *, but the count d'Armagnac, and 
the ministers of the crown, remained prisoners with an infu- 
riate mob, who knew not the name of mercy.* They were 
all cruelly put to death, and with bitter mockery, the erect^ or 
St. George's cross, was cut on their bodies, for that was the 
symbol of the Armagnacs, as the oblique^ or St. Andrew's, 
was of the Burgundians. 

13. The flight of the dauphin was the signal for civil war 
in every part of France ; while the English taking advantage 
of these chssensions, steadily pursued their career of victory, 
and subdued town after town without meeting any 
effective resistance. At length the duke of Burgundy , .' „* 
made proposals to the dauphin for an accommodation, 
it was agreed that they should meet on the bridge of Monte- 
reau, and a barrier was erected on it to protect both from the 
hostility of their mutual followers. Some friends of the 
murdered duke of Orleans took this opportunity to revenge 
his death ; leaping over the barrier in the midst of the confer- 
ence, they fell on the duke of Burgundy and slew him. It is 
uncertain whether the dauphin had any share in this treach- 
erous transaction, but its consequences nearly proved fatal to 
him and to his followers. 14. Philip, son of the murdered 
duke, assembled a numerous army, the queen joined him with 
her forces, and a peace was concluded with England, by which 

* These excesses, we are told by the old historians, were followed 
by the most brilliant processions ever seen. The murderers sought 
to palliate their crimes by associating them with religious ceremo- 
nies. The scarcity occasioned by the pillage and conflagrations in 
the environs of Paris, was followed by a contagious disease, which 
made such dreadful ravages, that, in the space of five weeks, fifty 
thousand of the citizens died. 



176 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



it was stipulated that Henry V. should m-arry Catharine, the 
daughter of the French king, that he should be appointed re- 
gent during the life of Charles VI., that then the crown of 
France should devolve on Henry and his successors, and that 
no peace should be made with the dauphin without the con- 
sent of the two kings, the duke of Burgundy, and the three 
estates of the realm. 




Catharine, Wife of Henry V. of England. 

15. When this treaty had been completed, Henry 
1420 ^^'^ Charles proceeded together towards Paris, where 
the duke of Burgundy appeared before the council, 
and entered an accusation in form against the dauphin for the 
murder of his father. After the absent prince had been re- 
gularly summoned, sentence of confiscation and banishment 
was pronounced against him, and the succession of Henry 
formally recognized by the parliament and the council. 16 
The following year, during Henry's absence in England, his 
army, under the command of his brother the duke of Clarence, 
was attacked by the dauphin's soldiers, under the guidance 



CHARLES VT. 177 

uf tne earl of Buchan, a Scotch nobleman, while besieging 
Beange in Anjou. In this engagement the English were de- 
feated and their general slain. 17. When the news reached 
Henry, he passed over into France with a fresh army, and 
used every exertion in his power to provoke the dauphin to 
come to an engagement ; but that prince was too wise to 
hazard a battle, and the English monarch, after having ex- 
hausted his soldiers by long and fatiguing marches, gave up 
the pursuit and returned to Paris. 18. A little before this, 
his queen had been delivered of a son, to whom the 
name of his father was given. Henry made his tri- ,^'.^o 
umphant entry into Paris on the day of Pentecost, 
but did not long enjoy his tranquillity; having learned that 
the dauphin meditated some fresh enterprises he marched 
against him, but on the road was seized v/ith a disease which 
soon proved mortal : with his dying breath he appointed the 
cardinal of Winchester guardian of his infant son, the duke 
of Gloucester regent of England, and the duke of Bedford 
regent of France ; particularly recommending the latter to 
use every possible means of retaining the friendship of the 
duke of Burgundy, on whose alliance he justly believed that 
the security of the English conquests in France depended. 

19. In a few months after, died Charles VI. of France, who 
had been politically dead for several years past. He was 
buried in the cathedral of St. Denis, unattended to the tomb 
by any prince of his blood; even the dcke of Burgundy was 
absent, as he did not think it consistent with his dignity to 
yield precedency to the duke of Bedford. 

20. During this troubled reign, Europe was dis- 
tracted by what is usually called "the schism op 10,70 
THE WEST." The inhabitants of Rome had been 

long grieved by the continued residence of the popes at Avig- 
non, and on the death of Gregory VI. they surrounded the 
conclave to demand a pope of their own nation, threatening 
to exterminate the wiiole college in case of a refusal. Urban 
VI. was chosen and consecrated, but soon after, rendering 
himself odious to a great body of the cardinals, they retired 
to Fondi, where they elected a second pope, Clement VII., 
under the pretence that the former election was void, in 
consequence of the force that had been used. 

21. Thus there were two popes, one at Avignon and one 
at Rome, both claiming infallibility, and both excommuni- 

liting each other as heretics and schismatics. This disgrace- 

M 



178 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

fill exhibition contimied for forty years; all Europe was di« 
vided as the potentates happened to be led either by prejudice 
or interest. France embraced the cause of Clement and his 
successors, but England and Germany asserted the cause of 
Urban and the popes chosen in Rome ; a division that not a 
ittle exasperated national animosities. 

22. While these two pontiffs thundered curses and ana- 
themas against each other, engaged in a most furious war 
distracted the consciences of men, and disturbed the govern* 
ment of kingdoms, each of them reckoned a number of saints 
on their side, of whose revelations and miracles they boasted 
as proofs of the goodness of their cause. St. Catharine of 
Sienna wrote every where in favour of Urban, and in her letter 
to the king of France, called the cardinals who were favourers 
of Clement, devils incarnate. Such a powerful authority re- 
quired a counterpoise, and some miraculous claims equally 
strong were opposed to it ; but the greatest miracle would 
have been to act with temper, a miracle which it is scarce 
necessary to add was not exhibited. 

23. At leno'th the sovereigns of Europe combined 

A. D. . 1 

1414. ^^ P^"^ ^'^ ^""^ ^'^ what they jusdy deemed a scandal 
* on religion ; and a council being assembled at Con- 
stance, both popes were deposed, and Martin V. elected in 
tiieir stead. 24. But the council sullied the glory that they 
obtained by thus putting an end to the schism. They sum- 
moned John Huss and Jerome of Prague to appear before 
them on a charge of having broached heretical doctrines, and 
notwithstanding the emperor's safe-conduct, condemned them 
to the flames. They also refused to make any of those re- 
forms in the church which the general wishes of Europe and 
the increasing knowledge of the age demanded, and thus they 
prepared a way for the great religious revolution which was 
about to commence in a succeeding century. 25. Neither 
were the followers of Huss in Bohemia reduced to submission, 
they took up arms in defence of their liberties, and maintained 
a desperate war against their oppressors. Their general, John 
Trasnow, surnamed Ziska or the One-eyed, defeated his an- 
tagonists in several engagements ; on his death-bed he gave 
orders that a drum should be made of his skm, to inspire the 
soldiers with courage. At length a peace was concluded, by 
which the privileges of the Bohemians were confirmed, and 
freedom of religious worship conceded to the Hussites. 
26. The reion of Charles VI. is also remarkable for the first 



CHARLES VI. 179 

appearance in Europe of that extraordinary people 
who have been called Zingeys, Bohemians, or Gypsies ; , ^ , ~ 
it is not easy to account for their origin, but the 
most probable opinion appears to be, that they were an Indian 
tribe expelled from their country by some of the revolutions 
which have taken place in that country. They certainly 
were not Egyptians, as has been generally supposed ; for in 
language, dress, and manner of life, they are totally different 
from any people that ever inhabited Egypt. They were soon 
treated as a proscribed race, and, like the Jews, persecuted 
wherever they appeared ; but, like that people, they survived 
persecutions, and their descendants still continue to exist as 
a distinct people in many parts of Europe. 

Questions. 

1. Why did Henry V. renew the war with France 7 

2. What town did he first besiege ? 

3. Why was it surrendered? 

4. la what situation were his soldiers when overtaken by tho 

Frencli army? 

5. From what circumstances does it appear that the English 

army were not dismayed by the superior forces of the 
enemy ? 

6. What were the circumstances of the engagement ? 

7. Why did the English not follow up their victory? 

8. How did the faction of the Armagnacs obtain a temporary 

superiority ? 

9. Did their rivals, the Burgundians, acquire any advantage 7 

10. How did tho English take advantage of these dissensions? 

11. Who headed the Burgundian party in Paris? 

12. In what manner did the Burgundians use their victory 7 

13. How was the duke of Burgundy slain ? 

14. What was the consequence of this murder? 

15. Was Henry's title to the Frencli crown recognised publicly? 

16. By whom were the English defeated ? 

17. How did the dauphin batile the English monarch? 

18. To whom did Henry bequeath the government of his domi- 

nions? 

19. For what was the funeral of Charles VI. remarkable? 

20. How did 'he schism of the west commence? 

21. Where did the rival popes hold their courts? 

22. How (lid they endeavour to obtain partisans? 

23. By what council was this schism terminated? 

24. Were all the proceedings of the council of Constance equally 

honourable? 

25. Were the Bohemian protestants dispirited by the lossof theii 

pastors ? 
20. What strange people, during this reign, appeared in Europe? 



180 



HISTORY OF FRANCK. 




Charles VII. 



CHAPTER XX. 

v,riARLES VII., SURNAMED THE VICTORIOUS. 

Thus the French, 
In cright array, and high in confident hope, 
Await the signal ; wliilst with other thoughts, 
And anxious awe, once more the invading host 
Prepare them in the field of fight to meet 
The Maij> of Orleans. Southkt. 



1. Nothing could be more deplorable than the 
. .' ■ prospects of Charles VII. when, by his lather's death, 
he became the lawful monarch of France. All the 
provinces from the Scheld to the Loire and the Saone, were 
possessed by the Burgundians and the English, the duke of 
Brittany deserted him, his treasury vvas so low that a shoe- 
maker refused to give him credit for a pair of shoes, and his 
favourite general, the earl of Buchan, had fallen into the 
hands of his enemies. His infant rival, Henry VI., wasf peace- 



CHARLES VII. 181 

tkjl] crowned at Paris, most of the great cities sent their de- 
puties to swear allegiance to the English, and the wise admi- 
nistration of the duke of Bedford seemed to have reconciled 
ihe French to an English government. 2. Charles himself 
apfieared to have lost all hope, for, neglecting public aflairs, 
he gave himself up to indolence and dissipation ; his friends 
in vain endeavoured to inspire him with better thoughts, and 
one of them, when asked his opinion of some festival which 
engaged the attention of Charles, replied, " Sire, I do not be- 
lieve it possible for any one to lose a kingdom with greater 
gaiety." 

3. This state of affairs was first disturbed by the mad am- 
bition of the duke of Gloucester, who had married Isabella, 
countess of Hainault, while her husband, the duke of Bra- 
bant, was alive, and had taken up arms to obtain possession 
of her dominions. Such a proceeding greatly displeased the 
duke of Burgundy, who was cousin-german to the injured 
husband, and the war which took place between him and 
Gloucester inspired the Burgundian v.'ith a distaste for the 
English, which all the skill of the duke of Bedlord was una- 
ble to remove. The war terminated when the pope declared 
Jacqueline's second marriagre null and void, but the 

• • • • AD 

jealousies to which it had given rise were never ef- i /nq 
faced. 4. Orleans was now the only town of im- 
portance which Charles possessed, and it was closely besieged 
by the Earl of Salisbury. Charles, unable to relieve the 
town, was preparing to yield to his unhappy fate, and retire 
into Dauphiny, but he was diverted from this disgraceful 
course by the exhortations of his mistress, the celebrated 
Agnes Sorel, a woman whose many virtues in some degree 
atone for her single crime. 5. Tlie garrison of Orleans pro- 
posed to surrender the town to the duke of Burgundy, to be 
held in trust for their duke, who had been a prisoner in Eng- 
land ever since the fatal battle of Agincourt ; but this proposal 
was r(!Jected by the besiegers, and thus a new cause of jeal- 
ousy arose between the dukes of Burgundy and Bedford. 
The earl of Salisbury was killed by a cannon-shot while di 
recting the siege, but this loss was compensated by the total 
defeat of tlie French army while endeavouring to intercept a 
convoy of herrings that were being conveyed to the English 
camp. 6. When Orleans almost approached its ruin, and nu 
hope seemed to appear in any quarter, the town was saved, 
and the fortunes of Charles restored by one of the most ex- 
16 



!82 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

traordinary revolutions recorded in history. A young girl, 
about eighteen years of age, called Joan of Arc, declared her- 
self commissioned by heaven to rescue Orleans, and have 
Charles crowned at Rheims. It is not easy to determine 
whether she was an enthusiast or an impostor; it is probable 
that, like Mohammed and many others, she united both cha- 
racters. Her pretensions were at first derided, but Charles, in 
the unfortunate posture of his affairs, eagerly caught at the 
first glimpse of hope, and summoned her to his presence. 7. 
On this occasion she is said to have given miraculous proofs 
of her vocation ; she discovered the king, though disguised, 
amidst a crowd of courtiers ; she pointed out a place in a 
church where a sword, ornamented with the cross and the 
arras of France, had been concealed for time beyond human 
memory, and the king declared that she had discovered to him 
a secret known to himself alone. In short, as the delusion 
or imposture was likely to be of service, no means were left 
untried to confirm its authority. 

8. Armed with the miraculous sword, and displaying a 
consecrated banner, the Maid of Orleans, as she is usually 
called, advanced against the English with an army whom en- 
thusiasm had made irresistible. The siege of Orleans was 
raised, and the English, who believed that they had to con- 
tend against a supernatural enemy, began to lose their con- 
quests with greater rapidity than they had been gained. 9. 
Her next exploit was one of equal difficulty and importance; 
she escorted Charles safely to Rheims almost througW the 
very midst of his enemies, and personally assisted at his coro- 
nation. As a reward for these services, Joan and her laniily 
were ennobled ; she now declared, that as the objects of her 
mission were accomplished, she would again return to 'private 
life, but allowed herself to be persuaded that it was Lur duty 
to remain until the English were totally banished from i'Vance. 
Ere long she had cause to repent this change in hcK resolu- 
tion ; Compeigne being besteged by the Burgundians., the he- 
roine threw herself into the place with some of hei devoted 
followers, and by her means the town was enabled tj make a 
successful defence. 10. But the governor, jealous that his 
honours should be shared with a woman, closed the barriers 
against her as she was returning from a successful aally , and 
thus Joan fell into the hands of the Burgundians, who sold 
iheir prisoner to her inveterate enemies the English. 



CHARLES VII. 



183 




Coronation of Charles VII. 



11. The duke of Bedford, enraged that the wise 
plans and labours of himself and his deceased brother , /qi' 
should have been baffled by a female, refused to treat 
the Maid of Orleans as a prisoner of war ; a species of eccle- 
siastical tribunal was appointed for her trial at Rouen, and 
there she was accused of sorcery, heresy, and unchastity. 
12. The only charge proved against her was that she had 
worn the dress of a man, and consequently her judges could 
not with any appearance of justice condemn her to death ; they 
sentenced her to perpetual imprisonment — in their own ex- 
pressive words — " to drink the cup of sorrow and eat the 
bread of affliction," adding, that if she were to be again de- 
lected wearing the dress of a man, death would be the ceuain 
consequence. 13. The latter part of the sentence suggested 
to her enemies a piece of execrable cruelty; they left in her 
prison several articles of male attire, and watched for the mo- 
ment when she would be tempted to try them on. The event 
answered their expectation; in an unguarded moment the 
jnaid put on some portion of a warrior's dress, she was 



184 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



dragged a second lime before the barbarous tribunal, con- 
demned, and burned to death in the streets of Rouen. 14. In 
her last moments she protested her innocence, and appealed 
to Heaven for vengeance on her persecutors. She is said by 
some to have prophesied that God would punish the nation 

which had thus murdered the 
innocent ; if so, the expul- 
sion of the English from 
France, and their subsequent 
suflerings in the civil wars 
betv/een the houses of York 
and Lancaster, were an ample 
fulfilment of her prediction. 
15. Twenty-five years after 
her death, tardy justice was 
done to her memory; Charles 
directed the proceedings on 
her trial to be subjected to 
the higher courts in Paris, by 
whom they were unanimously 
set aside as illegal and un- 
just. 

1 6. *The forces and 




treasures of both na- 



1435. 



Monument of Joan of Arc. 



tions being exhausted 
by the length of the war 
little of importance was at- 
tempted on either side for 
some years. But the English power at length met two unex- 
pected misfortunes, which soon destroyed all the effects of 
their former victories. The first of these was a reconcilia- 
tion between the king of France and the duke of Burgundy, 
the second was the death of the duke of Bedford, whom 
vexation and grief for this unexpected event hurried to his 

* The wars had so depopulated the country, that wolves and other 
beasts of prey infested even the city of Paris. In 1437 they entered 
the city by the river, and devoured fourteen or fifteen persons. In 
the following year they appeared again, killed four women and se- 
verely bit seventeen other individuals, of whom eleven died of their 
wounds. There was one formidable wolf in particular, called 
Courtani, because he had no tail, that became an object of universal 
dread. When any person was leaving the city, it was said, " gardez 
vous de Courtand,'" which afterwards passed into a pnvfjrb 



CHARLES VJl. 



185 




Deatb of Joan of An. 



16' 



CHARLES VII. 187 

grave. Paris opened her gates to Charles, city after city fol 
lowed the example of the capital, England became distracted 
by civil war, and in a few years nought remained of all their 
bodsted conquests but Calais. 

17. The kingdom had been scarcely freed from the 
evils of a foreign enemy, when Charles found his quiet -.iaJ 
disturbed by the artifices and cabals of his eldest son 
Louis. This prince, who was a monster of depravity, had 
employed assassins to murder a nobleman against whom he 
had conceived some personal dislike. When the attempt was 
discovered, Charles reproved the treachery of his son in se- 
vere terms, and Louis, impatient of control, retired from the 
court with a firm resolution never again to be subject to his 
father's power. He is accused, but rather from his general 
character than from any definite proofs, of having poisoned 
Agnes Sorel, the beloved mistress of his father; but his cha- 
racter is sufficiently blackened by undeniable crimes, without 
those which at best have no foundation but suspicion. 

18. The people of Guienne, and especially the citi- 
zens of Bordeaux, had been always remarkable for , /^„' 
their attachment to the English ; after they had re- 
mained for some time subject to Charles, they became wearied 
of a government which disregarded their privileges and loaded 
them with oppressive taxes. Deputies were sent to England, 
entreating Henry VI. to receive them again under his protec- 
tion, and to send them a body of forces to assist in the ex- 
pulsion of the French. 19. Talbot, the most celebrated 
general of the period, was sent to Guienne with a strong 
body of forces. At first he obtained several victories, and 
reduced the greater part of the province, but Charles having 
assembled all the forces of the kingdom, overpowered the 
little army of the English near Castillon. Talbot and his 
gallant son were slain, the greater part of their soldiers either 
killed or made prisoners, and no means of resisting the power 
of Charles remained. Bourdeaux surrendered after a short 
siege, several of its inhabitants were banished, two castles 
called the Chateau Trompette, and the Chateau-Ha, were 
erected to control the rest, and thus Guienne and Aquitaine 
were irrevocably united to the crown of France. 

20. When Louis the dauphin had withdrawn from his 
father's court, he retired to his own province, Dauphin y^; bu» 
there his cruelties and exactions were so intolerable, 
that his subjects were compelled to appeal to the king, .^j-/* 
Charles sent Dammartin to arrest his disobedient son . 



1 B8 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

but Louis, having obtained notice of his approach, fled to the 
territories of tfie duke of Burgundy, who received him with 
all the respect due to the son of his sovereign. Charles sen* 
frequent embassies to the duke, requiring him to withdraw his 
protection from the dauphin, warning him that " he nourished 
a serpent who would repay his hospitality by attempting his 
life." The Burgundian would not listen to these remonstrances, 
although he knew that Louis had excited his own son, the 
count of Charolois, to acts of rebellion. Charles was 
' ■ so exasperated against Louis, that he was with difH- 
' culty prevented from disinheriting him, and transfer- 
ring the right of succession to his second son. 2L But in 
the midst of his deliberations, he received positive intelligence 
that his domestics had been bribed to poison him by his un- 
natural son. His apprehensions became so great, that not 
knowing from whose hand he could receive food with safety, 
he abstrtined from eating for several days ; at the end of that 
lime it was no longer in his power to swallow, and thus his 
death was accelerated by his precautions. He *died in the 
59th year of his age, and 39th of his reign ; having, by a 
series of favourable chances, overcome so many dangers and 
difRculties, that he would have deserved the epithet of For- 
tunate, had he been blessed with a different father and a dif- 
ferent son. 

22. The wars in this leign show us that the spirit of chi- 
valry was fast declining. We meet no traces of that indi 
vidual heroism which throws such a romantic interest over 
the history of Edward's invasion, and Azincourt was the last 
great battle in which the superiority of the English archers 
was made available. Fire-arms were gradually superseding 
the use of the bow, and cavalry, which had been hitherto the 
most important part of an army, was, by the new system of 
warfare, considerably diminished in value. These changes in 
the art of war had a considerable influence on the political 
condition of society : for the knights and small proprietors, 
who had hitherto possessed great influence by the importance 
• of their services, sunk all at once when tliese were performed 
by hired soldiers. The authority of the feudal aristocracy 
was thus destroyed : in England it was transferred to the 
members of the house of commons, and thus secured for that 
country the blessings of a free constitution ; but in France it 
centered in the crown, and thus the government became 
an absolute monarchy. 



CHARLES VII. 



189 



2. 
3. 

4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 

8. 
9. 

10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17 
18. 

19. 

20. 
21. 
22. 



Questions. 

What vas the situation of Charles VII. at the time of hia 
father's death ? 

In what manner did Charles behave? 

How was the misconduct of the duke of Gloucester injurious 
to the English ? 

By whom was Charles instigated to defend his kingdom ? 

What occurred at the siege of Orleans 7 

By whom was the town saved ? 

What proofs of a divine mission did the Maid of Orleans 
pretend to give ? 

Did the French derive any advantage from this deception? 

Were the services of the Maid of Orleans limited to raising 
the siege ? 

How was Joan of Arc betrayed ? 

In what manner was she betrayed by the English? 

Of what crimes was she accused ? 

How was sentence of death procured ? 

Did any thing remarkable occur at her execution' 

Was justice ever done to her memory? 

What mjsfortunes did the English soon after experience if 

How did Louis the Dauphin conduct himself? 

What part of France was anxious to remain under the go- 
vernment of the English ? 

How did the expedition in their favour terminate ? 

Where did the Dauphin reside when he left his father's court? 

What caused the death of Charles? 

Does there appear to have been any change in the mode of 
warfare introduced about this time ? 




• ohert. Count of Clermont, Son of St. liOiiis. ami ."Vrice.stor of Henry IV., w**» 
the Lady of Boiirlion, Wif,; of Robert. 



ido 



HISTORY OF FRANCB. 




Louis XL 



CHAPTER XXr. 



LOUIS XI. 

Not serve two masters? here's a man will try itj 
Will still serve God, yet give the devil his due; 
rfays grace before he does a deed of villany, 
And returns thanks devoutl/ when 'tis acted, 

Scott. 

1. The conduct of Louis XL, while dauphin, t* 
14fiT* '^^^'^s his father and his subjects in Dauphiny, suSl 
ciently proved to the people of France, that his accea 
sion to the throne would be any thing but desirable. Ha 
seemed to have some nnisgivings on the subject himself, hr 
when he heard the news of his father's death, he came to 
Paris escorted by the duke of Burgundy and his son, with 
about fourteen thousand horse. He treated his subjects as if 
they were a conquered people ; he deprived of tbeir situa- 
tions every officer that his father had appointed, took a ma- 
acions pleasure in undoing every thing that had been done id 



LOUIS XI. 191 

ihe former reign, limited ihe provision made for his brother, 
loaded the people with taxes, plundered the nobles, and in- 
sulted the clergy. 

2. These proceedings naturally provoked the hostilitj'' of 
nis subjects ; an alliance was formed against Louis, called the 
league of the public good, but in which every leader sought 
merely his own private advantage. The duke of Berri, 
brother to the king, looked for a larger appanage* the dukes 
of Bourbon and Brittany wished for an enlargement of their 
dominions, the count of Saint Paul desired the office of con- 
stable, and the counts of Armagnac and Damartin sought the 
restitution of their estates. At the head of this confederacy 
was Charles, count of Charolois, the former friend and future 
rival of Louis ; the friendship that they had professed in the 
court of Burgundy while Louis was an exile, had changed 
into the most bitter enmity, and indeed mutual hatred appears 
to have been the necessary consequence of the character of 
Doth. 3. Charles was headstrong, impetuous, and self-willed, 
unable to disguise or control his violent passions, ambitious of 
glory, regardless of consequences, but possessing many re- 
deeming quahlies of the soldier, for he was frank, sincere, 
candid, and generous. Louis, on the other hand, was a con- 
summate master of hypocrisy ; his manners were gentle, kind, 
and insinuating; he never forgave, but he could dissemble 
his hostihty until a moment favourable for its display had 
arrived ; he felt more pride in having overreached an enemy 
than in winning a battle ; fraud and perjury were his favourite 
weapons, and few have ever wielded them with equal dex- 
terity ; he had no confidence in men, for he believed that all 
were hypocrites like himself. Both the rivals were harsh, cruel, 
and unprincipled, but the unthinking Charles broadly exhibit- 
ed his faults to the public, while Louis disguised them under 
an affected appearance of humility, which rendered him less 
suspected but more dangerous. It is a strange part of this 
monarch's character, that he was the most credulous as well 
as the most crafty of mankind, he devoutly believed in all 
the absurdities of judicial astrology, and usually had several 
professors of this pretended science in his train ; he was a 
complete devotee in all the forms of worship, frequently con- 
fessing himself to his chaplain, and addressing prayers to the 
leaden images of the saints with which he had adorned his 
dress. His favourite companions were selected from the lowest 

• Property assigned for the support oi a younger son. 



iy2 HISTORY Ol FRANCE. 

grade of society; indeed the character of Louis and his court 
may be sufficiently determined by the fact, that his principa' 
favourites were Ohver Dain his barber, and Tristan I'tlermitev 
the pubhc executioner. 

4. The count of Charolois without waiting for his allies ad^ 
vanced towards Paris, and Louis eager to save his capital, 
hastened to reach it before his rival. The two armies met at 
Mont I'Hery ; both were anxious to avoid an engagement, but 
the seneschal of Normandy, one of the leaguers, precipitated 
a ba.;tle, and was himself one of the first that fell. From the 
description given us of this fight, it appears to have been the 
most extraordinary that ever took place, the greater part of 
both armies ran away, and when night separated the combat- 
ants, each believed himself defeated. It was proposed in the 
Burgundian camp to take advantage of the night in order to 
make good their retreat, and they were not a little surprised in 
the morning to find themselves masters of the field. 5. "This 
unexpected victory," says Philip de Comines, " was the source 
of all the calamities which the count of Charolois afterwards 
experienced, for it inspired him with so much confidence in 
his own skill and prowess, that he disregarded all advice." 6. 
Louis retired to Paris, and there began to pracise the counsel 
given him by his ally, Sforza, duke of Milan ; the crafty Ita- 
lian had recommended him to promise the leaguers all that 
they demanded, and then, after they had disbanded their troops, 
to sow causes of dissension among them, and attack them in 
detail. This was just the plan which Louis was calculated 
to execute, he made a truce with the leaguers, went into the 
hostile camp, and pretended to feel a wonderful revival of af- 
fection for the count of Charolois ; he made similar demonstra- 
tions of esteem to all the principal leaguers, and expressed 
the utmost anxiety to regain their friendship on any terms 
short of resigning his crown. 7. The treaty was accelerated 
by an unexpected event, which made Louis consent to the ar- 
ticle which he had hitherto most pertinaciously refused. The 
leaguers insisted on the duchy of Normandy as an mr>ana^t 
for the king's brother, and Louis dreading that the possession 
of such an important province might prove a step to the crown, 
had rejectea the proposal; but while the matter was still a 
Bubject of negociation, the Normans, eager to obtain provincial 
independence, everywhere opened their gates to the forces of 
the league. When the news reached the king, he resolved 
to make a merit of granting what he could no longer withhold, 
and immediately signed the treaty. 



LOUIS XI. 193 

8. The policy of Sforza's advice soon appeared: the duke 
of Brittany wished to I'ule over Normandy in the name of its 
new duke ; Berri was unwilling to permit him, and th.s quar- 
rel nearly caused the ruin of boih. Louis marched his forces 
towards Caen, and summoned the duke of Brittany to appear 
before him : that prince, terrified and surprised, consented at 
the conference to resign into the king's hands all the towns 
that his soldiers garrisoned in Lower Normandy. The re- 
mainder of the province yielded either to threats or violence, 
and the duke of Berri, destitute of friends, money, spirit, or 
counsel, thought himself happy in escaping with his life to 
the court of Briitany. Normandy enjoyed its qualified inde- 
pendence only two months, but the desire shown to obtain it 
cost the life of several of its nobles, whom Louis put to death 
without any of the formalities of justice. 9. The count of 
Charolois was very indignant w^hen the news of these pro- 
ceedings reached him, but Louis had provided employment 
for him at home, by stirring up the factious citizens of Liege 
and Ghent to rebellion. While the count was reducing the 
insurgents to obedience, his father died, and he succeeded to 
the immense riches and resources of the duchy of Burgundy. 
The citizens of Ghent and Liege were forced to submit to 
very severe terms, and the young duke having increased his 
treasury, by exacting from them heavy pecuniary punish- 
ments, prepared to turn his attention to France, where Louis 
was rapidly recovering all that he had resigned at the peace. 

10. The king had made a furious irruption into 
Brittany: several of the frontier towns had submitted 14^ 
to his arms, when news reached his camp, that Charles 
of Burgundy with a gallant army was rapidly advancing 
towards the Somme. Before his arrival, the leaguers, unable 
to make any effective resistance, had made terms with the 
king ; a piece of news which so surprised and enraged Charles, 
that he was with difficulty prevented from hanging the herald 
who brought him the intelligence. H. Louis was naturally 
anxious to get rid of his vigorous rival, whose presence at the 
head of an army gave encouragement to all the discontenteo 
spirits of the kingdom. For this purpose, by the advice of the 
cardinal Balue, he took the most extraordinary step that can 
be imagined. Relying on his own superior address, he re- 
solved to pay a personal visit to Charles in Peronne, attended 
only by four or five followers, hoping that he wo.uld thus be 
enabled to divert his attention to other objects, or to excue 
jealousy between him ar^d thi? confederates. 12. But, a few 
17 N 



194 HLSTORY OF FRANCE. 

days before his journey, Louis had sent emissaries tt excite 
another rebellion in Liege, and in his hurry either forgot to 
countermand thein, or persuaded himself that the insurrecticia 
would not break out during his visit. On his arrival ai 
Peronne, he v\?as alarmed at meeting in the court of Charles 
several nobles whom his tyranny had banished from France ; 
to save himself from their vengeance, he entreated to be lodged 
in the citadel, and thus voluntarily threw himself into prison. 
13. Meantime the people of Liege had broken out into a 
fierce rebellion, murdering the Burgundian officers and several 
of the clergy, whom they deemed hostile to their civic privi- 
leges. When this news reached Peronne, Charles became 
furious with indignation ; he shut the gates of the town, thus 
making Louis a close prisoner, and was with difficulty pre- 
vented from proceeding to farther outrages. 14. For three 
days Louis remained in terrible suspense, but he did not forget 
his accustomed arts ; he bribed with large sums and larger 
promises, all those courtiers whom he supposed likely to have 
any influence over the mind of Charles, and amongst the rest, 
Philip de Comines, to whom we are indebted for this narra- 
tive. At length Charles consented to be pacified ; a new- 
treaty was made, by which several counties were annexed to 
Burgundy, and it was further stipulated, that Louis should 
personally assist the duke in the reduction of Liege. 15. The 
anger and disappointment both of the king and Charles were 
vented on that unfortunate place ; it was taken by storm, the 
greater part of its inhabitants were put to the sword, and of 
those that escaped, many subsequently perished by cold and 
famine. 

16. The people of Paris were infinitely amused at the 
manner in which Louis had outwitted himself by too much 
artifice, and taught all their magpies to cry out Peronne. 
Peronne. But the king punished them for their jest, by 
ordering all the tame animals which were kept as pets through 
ihe city to be put to death. The cardjnal Balue, who was 
s>ispected of secret intelligence with the duke of Burgundy, 
was arrested and confined in an iron cage, a punishment that 
he well merited, as he was the original inventor of such a 
barl)arous torture, 

17. The king persuaded his brother to take the 

147^ duchy of Guienne instead of the provinces bordering 

■ * on Burgundy, that had been agreed on at Peronne. 

The inhabitants of Guienne and Gascony still remembered 

iheir national independence with regret, and intrigued wilb 



LOUIS XI. 195 

their new duke to throw off the yoke of France. But the 
duke of Guienne was taken off by poison as soon as the king, 
his brother, perceived that he was hstening to these sugges- 
tions ; and a French army came and besieged, in Lectoure, 
count John of Armagnac, who evinced the most activity in the 
old Gascon interest. The town was taken by assault and 
given up to fire and sword, the count perished in the mas- 
sacre ; and his wife, in the seventh month of her pregnancy, 
was compelled to take a beverage to produce abortion, of 
which she died herself in two days. Finally, James d'Ar- 
magnac, duke of Nemours, who harboured, or was supposed 
to harbour similar designs, was decapitated at Paris ; and his 
childi^n were placed under the scaffold, that their father's 
blood, dropping on their heads, miffht warn them never again 
to attempt war against the king of France. 

IS. The impetuous duke of Burgundy frequently renewed 
the war with Louis, and as frequently was bribed to grant fresh 
truces ; the constable Saint Paul, who had possessed himself 
of some towns on the confines of Burgundy, exasperated the 
animosities of both parties, foreseeing that their agreement 
would prove his destruction. Equally distrusted by the king 
and the duke, he dealt out impartial treachery to both, and 
made his eventual destruction certain, though, by his 
artifices, it was for some time deferred. The insatiable -i /^-* 
ambition of Charles involved him in wars with the 
German princes and with the Swiss, but his hatred of Louis 
was the principal guide of his actions. Though he mortally 
hated the house of York, yet he accepted the " order of the 
garter" from Edward IV., and invited him to invade France, 
promising that he would aid him with all his forces. 19. Ed- 
ward, glad of such a pretence for levying money on his sub- 
jects, wiih whom a French war was always popular, passed 
over to Calais. The duke of Burgundy failed to appear ai 
the rendezvous, and when he arrived after a long delay, he 
was unable to furnish his quota of troops. 20. Tlie constable 
had promised that he would surrender Saint Gluentin to the 
duke's allies, bui when the forces of Edward came before tb* 
town, they were fired on and compelled to retire. These cir- 
cumstances furnished Edward with an honourable excuse foi 
puitmg an end to the war, of which he was already weary, 
and the liberal offers of Louis were not less influential mo- 
cives. In fact, the French king literally bribed Edward and 
his principal nobility, who for several years after disgracefully 
continued the pensioners of France. 21. The two monarcha 



I96 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

had an interview at Pequigni, in which the terms of a treaty 
were soon arranged ; but the dulce of Burgundy was so in- 
dignant that he refused to be comprehended in it, yet after- 
wards being eager to continue his unjust war on the Swiss 
and the princes of Lorraine, he concluded a truce with Louis. 
22. The constable St. Paul saw now that his ruin was in- 
evitable, he fled as a last resource to the court of Burgundy, 
but Charles delivered him up to the king, who instantly o^ 
dered him to be executed. 

23. The success of the war that Charles waged against the 
Swiss was proportioned to its injustice, he was defeated 
l^'^J at the battle of Granson with great loss, and the follow- 
ing year he lost his army and his life together at the 
still more fatal field of Morat, by the treachery of an Italian 
officer, the count of Campobasso\ This traitor had been long 
attached to the house of Lorraine, of whom Charles was a 
bitter enemy ; he had sworn the destruction of his unhappy 
master, and had almost openly bargained for his assassination. 
Charles, with almost inconceivable credulity, continued to 
trust him, though warned of his treachery ; and when Louis 
sent him word to beware of the Italian, the unhappy duke 
declared the letter to be the strongest proof of Campobasso's 
fidelity: for, said he, "if evil were designed, Louis would be 
the last to send me warning." Scarcely had the armies of 
Lorraine and Burgundy met on the field of Morat, when 
Campobasso deserted with his followers, leaving behind him 
fourteen desperadoes to assassinate the duke in the confusion. 
Dismayed by this unexpected defection, the Burgundians gave 
way at the first onset ; after the slaughter, rather than the 
battle, was over, Charles was found lying under a heap of 
slain, so disfigured with wounds that he could scarcely be re- 
cognised. 24. His generous enemy, the young duke of Lor- 
raine, when shown the dead body, took hold of his once for- 
midable right hand, and pronounced these simple words, "God 
rest thy soul ! thou hast caused us much evil and sorrow." 
He then ordered his body to receive an honourable interment. 
The Swiss were so little accustomed to articles of luxury, that 
they did not know the value of the rich plunder found in the 
Burgundian camp, and it is said that they sold the silver ves- 
sels found there as pewter. 

25. The death of his rival left Louis without a competitor, 
he at once seized on several towns of Burgundy, though at 
the same time honourable means were offered to him of ob- 
taining the whole ; for the princess Mary, daughter and heiress 



LOUIS XI. 



197 




of the unfortunate Charles, offered 
to unite her dominions to those of 
France by a marriage with the dau- 
phin. But Louis seemed to despise 
possessions acquired honestly ; he 
was even base enough to betray the 
letters of the young princess to the 
factious citizens of Ghent, who 
were her masters rather than her 
subjects. In consequence of this 
perfidy, the people of Ghent seized 
several of the princess's most fa- 
voured servants, and murdered 
them almost in her presence. She 
was afterwards married to Maximi- 
lian, son of the emperor Frederic TI., 
but died in a few years by a fall 
from her horse. The people of 
Ghent chose her infant son and 
dauffhter for their sovereigns, and 
betrothed the girl to the dauphin. 

26. Louis had now overcome all his enemies, but 
the vengeance of Heaven would not permit him to en- J^J^ 
joy prosperity purchased by crimes ; while sitting at 
dinner, he was suddenly seized with a species of apoplectic 
fit, which at once deprived him of sense and speech. Though 
he partly recovered from the attack, his health was never per- 
fectly restored; day after day he visibly declined, and the 
nearer death came, the more did he show that he dreaded its 
approach. Every thing seemed to inspire him with jealous 
fear, he removed his queen from the court, kept his son a close 
prisoner in the castle of Amboise, and always retained in his 
euite Louis, duke of Orleans, the first prince of the blood, 
whom, with barbarous policy, he had deprived of the advan- 
tages of education. He forced him to marry the princess 
Jane, who possessed, indeed, an amiable disposition, but was 
deformed and barren. 27. There is a kind of gloomy satis- 
faction in contemplating the miseries which this cruel tyrant 
Buffered from the dread of death. Shut up in his castle of 
Plessis les Tours, which could only be entered by a single 
wicket, and which was fortified with the most extraordinary 
care, the wicked monarch employed every means to prolong 
life that superstition and quackery could suggest, for h'li disease 
ivas beyond the reach of medical art. The companions of 
17* 



An Archer of ilie Guard of 
Louis XI. 



A. D. 



198 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

his solitude were his barber, his hangman, and his physician ; 
the la'ter, named Coctiers, was an artful quack, and had per- 
suaded Louis that, according to the decrees of fate, he should 
die exactly four days before the king. 28. Louis, therefore, 
took care of a life with which he believed his own so inti- 
mately connected, and submitted to all the insola^ce which the 
impostor chose to exhibit. 

While thus lingering at the point of death, the tyrant en- 
deavoured to persuade the world that his health was perfectly 
re-established, sending embassies to foreign princes, wearing 
the richest robes instead of the plain, not to say shabby, dress 
that he had hitherto worn, and adding, while he lived, fresh 
victims to his suspicious cruelty and undying revenge. He 
had placed his principal hope in the efficacy of the prayers 
of Francis de Paule, a pious hermit whom he sent for out of 
Calabria; before this man he prostrated himself, supplicated, 
flattered, entreated ; but the hermit, with unusual honesty, de- 
clared to him that his case was hopeless, and recommended 
him to prepare for another world. Thus deprived of his last 
hope, and finding himself grow weaker every day, Louis sent 
for his son, and exhorted him not to govern without the aid 
and counsel of the princess and nobles, not to change the 
great officers of state at his accession, not to continue 
148^' ^^^^ oppressive taxes, and in fine to make his adminis- 
' tration as unlike his father's as possible. Soon after 
this he died, in the 61st year of his age and 22d of his reign. 
29. There are few princes whose memory has been held in 
more universal execration than that of Louis XL ; more than 
four thousand persons perished for slate ofTences by the hand 
of the executioner during his reign, and he took a diabolical 
pleasure in witnessing their torments. It is but fair, however, 
to state, that he diligently attended to the administration of 
justice, and made several judicious regulations in the law 
courts; he was the first who established posts through the 
kingdom, in order to gratify his restless anxiety for news, and 
finally, in his reign, the first printing-press was erected in 
l-*aris. 



Questions. 

1, How did Louia behave at the beginning of his reign ? 

2. Who were the leaders of the league formed against him 7 

3, What were the characters of Louis and Charles 7 

4. For what is the battle of Mont I'Hery remarkable 7 



LOUIS XI. 199 

5. How was victory ruinous to Charles of Burgundy ? 

6. What artful plan did Louis pursue? 

7. What circumstance led to the speedy conclusion of a treaty! 

8. Did any disputes arise among the leaguers, of which Louis 

took advantage 1 

9. Why did not the count of Charolois march to the relief of hi« 

allies? 

10. How did he behave when he heard of the peace 1 

11. What extraordinary resolution was formed by Louis? 

12. Was the visit to Charles inconsistent with any previous plot 

formed by the king ? 

13. To what danger did this expose the king? 

14. On what conditions was peace made? 

15. How was the town of Liege treated? 

16. In what manner did Louis punish the ridicule of the Paris- 

ians? 

17. What cruelty was exhibited at the execution of d'Armagnac ? 

18. How did the duke of Burgundy show his inveterate hostility 

to Louis ? 

19. Why did Edward IV. invade France ? 

20. How did the constable St. Paul behave? 

21. By what means did Louis obtain peace from Edward? 

22. Wliat became of the constable St. Paul 1 

23. In what manner did the duke of Burgundy fall a victim to 

ambition ? 

24 How did the conquerors behave? 

25 In what way did Louis behave towards tne family of the de- 

ceased duke of Burgundy? 
2<3 By what calamities was Louis overtaken ? 

27 How did he show his attachment to life? 

28 What was the manner of his death ? 

89 «Jot with Stan ding his bad character, was not Franco indebted 
to him for some useful institutions? 




Louia XI. and Francis de Paula. 



200 HISTORY OF FRANCB. 




Charles VUI. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



CHABLES "\ni., SURNAMED THE AFFABLE AND 
COURTEOUS. 

The king of France, with twenty thousand men, 
Marched* up the hill, and then marched down again. 

Old Pkovehb. 

1. Charles had reached his fourteenth year, the 
, /oo* legal age of majority, at the time of his father's death, 
but the weakness of his constitution, and the ignorance 
in Avhich he had been brought up, rendered him unfit to un- 
dertake the management of affairs. Louis had by will ap- 
pointed Anne, princess of Beaujeu, guardian to her brother, a 
woman of excellent understanding, high spirit, and vigorous 
resolution, possessing much of her father's craft, without any 
share of his cruelty and perfidy. 2. The princes of the blood 
especially the dukes of Bourbon and Orleans, thought it be 
noath their dignity to submit to the control of a woman ; thej 



CHARLES VIII. 201 

declared that since the Salic law excluded females from the 
crown, by similar reasoning it made them incapable of exer- 
cising regal functions, and the states general were summoned 
to decide on this important point. Contrary to the expectation 
of the princes, the states confirmed the will of the late k'jig, 
and acknowledged the lady of Beaujeu as regent, but they ap- 
pointed a council of twelve, selected from the highest ranks 
of the nobility, to aid her in the administration. The dukes 
of Bourbon and Orleans took up arms, but the promptitude of 
the regent disconcerted their plans ; the former weis obliged to 
submit to whatever terms she pleased to dictate, and the latter 
was compelled to seek a refuge in Brittany. 

3. We ha\^e already seen on several occasions the strong 
love of independence by which the inhabitants of Brittany 
were animated, and their unwillingness to become incorporated 
with either Normandy or France ; but the discontent of a 
large portion of that people induced them to solicit the aid of 
the king of France against their duke, and they found too late 
that a powerful ally soon becomes a master. Charles sent 
them an army far surpassing the number that had been stipu- 
lated ; he garrisoned the towns with French troops, and laid 
claim to the duchy in right of the family of Blois, the former 
rivals of the Montforts, who had bequea.hed their pretensions 
to the king-. 4. The Bretons discovering their error when too 
late, submitted to their duke and joined him with all 
their forces; but the allied forces were totally defeated -ijo^a' 
by the French at Saint Aubin, their bravest leaders 
either slain or made prisoners, and the whole country placed 
at the mercy of their victorious enemies. Amongst the prison- 
ers were the duke of Orleans and the prince of Orange ; the 
lady of Beaujeu shut up the former, whom she mortally de- 
tested, in close prison, but liberated the latter. 

5. In consequence of this decisive overthrow, the duke of 
Brittany was compelled to make peace on very disadvantageous 
terms; but grief shortened his days, he died soon after, leav- 
ing behind him two daughters, one of whom quickly followed 
her father to the grave. Anne, the heiress of Brittany, though 
only in her fourteenth year, conducted herself with great wis- 
dom under all the difficulties of her situation. Her subjects 
were divided into several parties concerning her marriage; 
she herself selected the archduke Maximilian, and the nuptials 
were celebrated by proxy ; but that prince, either from indo- 
lence or inability, never came to her assistance, though he 
fcaew that she was attacked by all the p nver of France. 



202 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Under these circumstances, the duke of Orleans, whom thn 
king had released from prison, contrived an mterview betweeti 
Charles and Anne at Rennes ; both were so well 
14Q9 pl^^s^d ^^''h ^^^'^ other, that a marriage was the con- 
sequence, and thus Brittany became completely united 
to France. 7. This Avas a double insult to Maximilian, for 
Charles had been long contracted to his daughter, and she waa 
actually at the time residing in France, whither she had been 
Bent by the people of Flanders in the former reign, waiting 
for the completion of the marriage, but as the archduke was 
powerless, and had in some degree caused his own misfortunes 
by his neglect and irresolution, he could only show his indig- 
nation by vain complaints and idle menaces, which nobody 
regarded. 

8. Charles when advanced in life became sensible of the 
defects of his early education, and made some attempts to 
supply them by study; but with the unsteadiness of purpose, 
which was his most distinguishing characteristic, he gave up 
the attempt, and gave himself up to folly and dissipation. 9. 
As heir to the house of Lorraine, he had some slight preten- 
sions to the kingdom of Naples, which would probably have 
remained for ever buried in oblivion, but for the artifices of 
Ludovico Sforza, a man remarkable even in that depraved 
age, for his pre-eminence in every base quality that can dis- 
grace humanity. Anxious to wrest the duchy of Milan from 
his nephew Galeazzo, he had been long restrained by his fear 
of Ferdinand, king of Naples, to whose grand-daughter 
Galeazzo was married ; and in order to remove this impedi- 
ment, he incessantly solicited Charles to invade Italy. 10. 
All the old advisers of the king endeavoured to dissuade him 
from this expedition, but his resolution was fixed: he wasted 
however two years in making preparations, and at length set 
out with an army in which the regular troops did not exceed 
18,000 men ; but there were besides great numbers of the 
young nobility serving as volunteers ; soldiers, whose valour 
might be serviceable in the field of battle, but quite unfit for a 
long and tedious enterprise, as they could not endure either 
fatigue or disciphne. 

11. The state of Italy at this time presents a frightful pic- 
ture of crime ; Ferdinand, king of Naples, and his son Al- 
phonso, duke of Calabria, were universally execrated by their 
subjects for their oppressive exactions and sanguinary cruel- 
ties. Alexander VI. possessed the see of Rome ; his cha 
racter is thus emphatically described by a Roman Catholic 



CHARLES VIII. 203 

historian : " The abominations and crimes of this monster 
would have been unparalleled, but for the still greater atrocities 
of his natural son, Csesar Borgia." The Venetians had made 
perfidy a law of their state, Peter de Medicis was labouring 
to establish the supremacy of his family at Florence, without 
being very scrupulous about the means. Finally, to use the 
words of Mt'zeray, " all the Italian princes of the period were 
destitute of religion, displa5'^ing a brutal atheism in their words 
and actions, but priding themselves on their profound wisdom 
and crafty policy " But they certainly did not show much 
of the latter quality on this occasion, for during the two years 
employed in making preparations for the invasion, not a single 
step was taken to dissuade an unsteady prince, or to resist a 
weak army directed by a brainless council. 

12. Charles crossed the Alps, and after some delay 
at Asti, where he was seized by the small-pox, ad- iVq^ 
vanced to Turin. Here he found his resources already 
so exhausted, that he was obliged to borrow the jewels of the 
duchess of Savoy, and marchioness of Montferrat, which he 
pledged in order to raise money for the payment of his troops. 
He then marched to Pavia, where he found his cousin 
Galeazzo, duke of Milan, dying of poison, which had been 
administered to him by the perfidious Sforza; when he 
reached Placentia, he learned the death of this unfortunate 
prince, and was at the same time deserted by Sforza, who 
hastened back to Milan to reap the fruit of his crimes. The 
French were indignant at being thus made in some degree 
participators in the murder of a prince who was the cousin- 
gertnan of their sovereign ; they would gladly have stopped 
to exact vengeance, but Charles hurried on to complete his 
conquests, and equally disregarded the claims of his relative 
and the anger of his soldiers. 13. His success was indeed 
sufficient to intoxicate a young monarch possessed of a stronger 
mind than Charles; his progress resembled a triumphal pro- 
e3ssion, for no enemy appeared to impede his march ; Pisa.. 
Floience, and even Rome itself, submitted to his forces; 
Ferdinand died at Naples of sheer terror, Peter de Medicia 
fled into exile, and Alexander submitted to the king's plea- 
sure, giving his son Cassar Borgia, and the Turkish prince, 
Zizim,* as hostages. 

• This young prince was tlie brother of the sultan Bajazet, and 
having been engaged in an unsuccessful insurrection, was com 
peUed tc consult his safety by flight. Alexander treated him a* 



204 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

14. The conquest of Naples was effected with as 
^ " ■ much facility as the inarch throucrh Italy. Alphonso 
■ resigned his crown to his son Ferdinand, and fled 
icross the Sicilian strait to Messina. His terror was so great, 
ih{\t although his enemies were still 180 miles off, "he ima- 
gined that he saw them in the streets of Naples, and that the 
walls, trees, and stones were shouting the war-cry of France. 
His wife entreated him to remain at least three days longer, 
in order that he might complete a year in his kingdom, but 
he refused to give her this satisfaction, and threatened to 
throw himself out of the window if further attempts were made 
to detain him." His son Ferdinand, who merited a better 
father and a better fate, in vain endeavoured to resist the in- 
vaders ; his troops deserted, his cities opened their gates to 
the French, he was compelled to seek refuge in the island of 
Ischia, and thus in fifteen days Charles obtaii>ed the possession 
of all the Neapolitan territories, with the exception of Brindisi, 
Reggio, and Gallipoli. 

15. Success produced its natural effects on weak minds : 
the king and his followers neglecting every kind of business, 
gave themselves up to riot and debauchery ; the soldiers lived 
at discretion, the public treasures were squandered, the inha- 
bitants plundered and insulted, until at length the Neapolitans 
found reason to regret even the tyrants whom they had so 
lately hated. But, in the mean time, a powerful league was 
formed against Charles, at the head of which were his old 
enemy Maximilian, now become emperor of Germany, and 
the pope. 16. Having entrusted the care of the newly-ac- 
quired kingdom to the count d'Aubigny and the duke de 
Montpelier, with whom he left about 4000 soldiers, Charles 
proceeded to return homewards at the head of an array dimin- 
ished to about 9000 men. He delayed some time at Pisa, 
vainly expecting to be joined by the duke of Orleans with a 
reinforcement : but that prince having some claim to the 
duchy of Milan, had attacked Sforza on his own account, and 
after some trifling successes, was closely blockaded in Novarra. 

a prisoner, and even entered into a negociation for delivering up 
the l\apless fugitive to his cruel brother. This meditated treachery 
was prevented by the king of France, but before the pope gave 
Zizim up to Charles, he is said to have poisoned him. It is not 
easy to discover vi^hether there is jnst ground for this accusation, bal 
any charge against pope Alexander is credible. He w^as a monstof 
that disgraced not merely the chyrch but human nature. 



CHARLES VIIT. 205 

17. This deJay gave the confederates time to concentrate their 
forces ; they assembled an army of 40,000 men, and posted 
them in a valley near Fornova, through which the French 
would necessarily pass. The folly of the confederates in post- 
ing themselves in a space so very narrow, that their numbers ■ 
served only to create confusion ; the avarice of some who 
hurried to plunder the baggage, instead effacing the enemy, 
and the terror which the previous triumphs of the French 
inspired, combined to give Charles an easy victory. With 
the loss of only eighty men, Charles routed the confederates, 
and forced them to take flight, leaving 3000 dead upon the 
field. 18. But notwithstanding this success, the French suf- 
fered almost as much as if they had been defeated, for^their 
provision waggons were destroyed, and they had to endure 
all the extremities of famine before they reached the friendly 
town of Asti. 19. Here a new treaty was concluded with 
Sforza, but Charles, scarcely waiting for its conclusion, re- 
passed the Alps, and hastened to Lyons, where he soon forgot 
his love of military enterprise in riotous excesses and dissipa- 
tion. 

20. The kingdom of Naples was lost almost as easily 

as it had been won : all the Italian princes assisted i^qa 
Ferdinand ; but his most efTective ally was the king 
of Arragon, who sent him a body of Spanish troops under the 
command of Gonsalvo de Cordova, surnamed "the Great 
Captain." The French made a courageous resistance, but 
their enemies being masters of the sea, cut off all reinforce- 
ments ; victory itself became a source of weakness, since they 
could not replace those who fell ; the generals were therefore" 
compelled to surrender, and in a few months the only trace 
of the conquests of Charles was the memory of the evils they 
had caused. 

21. The French were naturally indignant at this termina- 
tion of their brilliant exploits, but many causes combined to 
prevent them from recovering what they had lost. The king 
had destroyed his constitution by debauchery ; he was jealous 
of the duke of Orleans, the presumptive heir of the crown, 
and he was naturally of a fickle and wavering disposition. He 
njused himself, however, so far as to assemble an army, bu' 
when part of them had already crossed the Alps, the expedi- 
tion was suspended and finally laid aside. 22. Charles find- 
ing his health beginning to decay, resolved to adopt a new 
course of hfe ; he dismissed the companions of his guilty 

18 



206 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

pleasures, and began to apply himself diligently to the reform- 
ation of the kingdom ; but before his subjects could derive 

much advantage from this beneficial change, he was 
I /qo* suddenly attacked by a fit of apoplexy, of which he 

died, in the 28th year of his age and 15th of his reign. 

23. Charles appears to have been a monarch of good natu 
ral dispositions : he was so dearly beloved by his domestics 
that some of them died of grief for his loss ; but the barbarous 
policy of his father in depriving him of the advantages of 
education, and shutting him up in the company of menials, 
produced the most destructive effects on his character; it gave 
him a taste for sensual pleasures, because he knew no other, 
and led to that mixture of obstinacy and indecision in his cha- 
racter which is commonly observable in men of vigorous minds 
and httle information. His courtesy and kindness of manner 
endeared him to all who knew him ; and it is said, that during 
his whole life, he never made use of an expression which 
could hurt the feelings of a single individual. 

24. Charlee died without issue, and the crown consequently 
came to the duke of Orleans, his cousin in the third degree ; 
this was the second time that the succession in the Capetian 
family devolved on a collateral branch. 



Questions. 

1. By whom was Charles aided in the government of France f 

2. With what success was the princess Anne opposed ? 

3. What war took place in Brittany ? 

4. How was the independence of Brittany overthrown? 

6. To whom was the heiress of Brittany at first contracted ? 

6. Why was the marriage broken off? 

7. Was there any additional insult offered to Maximilian? 

8. Did Charles endeavour to remedy the deficiencies of his eatif 

education ? 

9. How was he involved in an Italian war ? 

IG. Did he evince any military skill in his preparations 7 

1 1. What was the state of Italy at this time ? 

12. How did Sforza behave 1 

13. What success had Charles in Italy? 

14. Did the king of Naples make a vigorous resistance? 

15. What enem.es rose up against the French? 



CHARLES VII. 



207 



16 What errors were committed by the French generals on theij 
return ? 

17. For what is the battle of Fornova remarkable ? 

18. From what cause did the French suffer severely? 

19. How was the war ended 1 

20. In what maimer were the French driven from. Naples 7 

21. Did they make any effort for its recovery ? 

22. How did Charles pass the latter part of his life ? 
23 What was the character of this monarch? 

24. Had he any lineal successors? 




Huimilian, Emperor of Germany, Husband of Mary of BungVB^ 



208 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Louis XII. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



LOUIS XII., SURNAMED THE FATHER OF HIS PEOPLE. 

Seek not to govern by the lust of power ; 
Make not thy will thy law ; believe thy people 
Thy children all ; so shalt thou kindly mix 
Their interest with thy own, and fix the basis 
Of future happiness in godlike justice. 

C. JoHNSoir. 



A. D 



1. The calamities which Louis had sufferea m the 
id'oft ^^rly part of his life produced a beneficial effect on his 
* character ; " he had suffered persecution, and had 
learned mercy ; he was a good king, because he had long been 
a faithful subject, and he had learned to moderate the rigours 
of despotism, because he had personally experienced their 
effects." On his accession to the throne, he declared that he 
would not punish any of those by whom he had been injured 
or offended in the former reigns, declaring, " that the king of 
France would not revenge the injuries of the duke of Orleans.'' 
2. Unfortunately for his subjects, he was like his predecessor 
infatuated with the desire of Italian conquests, and duped b) 



LOUIS XII. 209 

Itie artifices of the perfidious potentates who then ruled that 
ill-fated land. Pope Alexander had taken an invincible dis- 
like to Ferdinand of Naples, because he had refused to give 
his daughter to Cassar Borgia, the pontifl"'s natural son ; the 
Venetians were anxious to ruin Sforza, whom they found a 
powerful and dangerous foe ; the Florentines were eager to 
recover Pisa ; and all were dissatisfied with their present con- 
dition, 3. The pope had it in his power to oblige the king; 
he had been married in his early youth much against his will, 
to Jane, the daughter of Louis XL, and he now sought a di- 
vorce on the ground of the force' that had been put on his in- 
clinations. To obtain this favour, Louis created Cfesar Borgia 
duke of Valentinois, and entered into a close alliance with 
Alexander; the pope, on his part, sent Borgia with a bull, 
constituting a court to try the validity of the king's marriage. 
The form of a trial was gone through, the divorce was formally 
pronounced, and Louis immediately after was married to the 
queen dowager, a choice probably dictated by his anxiety to 
keep the province of Brittany united to the crown of France. 

4. The invasion of Italy was crowned with success ; 

the character of Sforza was so infamous that no one iVqq' 
would venture to support his cause; his subjects de- 
serted him, and the governors of his cities, emulating their 
master's treachery, sold themselves to the enemy. Louis, on 
the news of this success, passed the Alps, made his public 
entry into Milan, clothed in the ducal robes, and was acknow- 
ledged as its legitimate sovereign by all the Italian princes. On 
the king's return to France, Sforza, by a new revolution, re- 
gained the greater part of the Milanese territories, but was 
soon after defeated and made prisoner by La Trimouille, 
Louis's bravest general. Sforza, on account of his crimes, 
was imprisoned for life in the castle of Loches. 

5, Though Louis was sufficiently powerful to attempt the 
conquest of Naples without foreign aid, he was unfortunately 
induced to engage the assistance of Ferdinand of Arragon, 
whose general, Gonsalvo, already had possession of several 
of the principal fortresses. Frederic, king of Naples, unable 
to resist so powerful a coalition, surrendered himself a prisoner 
to Louis, by whom he was generously treated, and presented 
with a pension, which was continued even after the expulsion 
of the French from Naples. The Spaniards and French, after 
having subdued the Neapolitan dominions, quarrelled about 
iheii shares of the prize ; a furious war commenced between 

18* O 



2J0 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

them, whicn ended with the total defeat of the French, and 
their complete expulsion from all their conquests. 

6. The death of pope Alexander produced an entire 
lfin4 change in the politics of Italy; he had prepared poi- 
■ soned wine to destroy a rich cardinal whose inheritance 
he desired, but through a mistake of the servants, the poison 
was given to the pontiff himself and his son ; Caesar Borgia 
escaped, because he had only taken a small quantity, but 
Alexander perished miserably. He was succeeded by Pius 
II., who survived his election only twenty-six days ; Julius II, 
was elected in his room, a pontiff remarkable for his crafty 
policy, restless ambition, and intense hatred of the court of 
France. 7. Louis made vigorous attempts to punish the 
Spaniards for their perfidy, but the death of La Trimouille 
caused the ruin of the expedition sent against Naples ; two 
armies which had been sent to invade Spain were defeated, 
from the incapacity or treachery of the leaders, and Louis was 
so mortified by these repeated disappointments, that he fell 
into a dangerous illness, which nearly proved fatal. 

8. In the reign of Louis XI. we mentioned that the people 
of Flanders had undertaken the guardianship of the son and 
daughter of their count the duke of Burgundy, whom their 
unfortunate mother had left at her death in helpless infancy. 
The son, on reaching the years of maturity, found himself in 
peaceable possession of Flanders and its riches, his father 
elevated to the empire, and his wife presumptive heiress to 
the throne of Castile. The kingdoms of Castile and Arragon 
had been united by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
during whose reign the power of the Moors was destroyed in 
Spain, and the new world discovered. 9. But the happiness 
of Isabella was not unmixed ; her only son and eldest daugh- 
ter, whom she passionately loved, died in the prime of life, 
and grief for their loss hurried her to the grave. The crown 
of Castile descended to the archduchess Joanna, who proceeded 
to Spain, accompanied by her husband and her infant son, 
afterwards the celebrated Charles V. Soon after Philip died, 
and grief for his loss produced such an effect on the 
- J^^ mind of Joanna, that she became incapable of manag- 
' ing the affairs of state ; in consequence of this, Ferdi- 
nand of Arragon took upon himself the office of regent, acting 
in the name of his grandson Charles, then only seven years 
uld. 10. Charles had been contracted to the princess royal 
of France, who, in default of male heirs, had succeeded to her 
mother's right over the duchy of Brittany ; but the states- 



LOUIS XII. 211 

general, unwilling that this province should be d'sunited from 
the kingdom, protested against this union, and caused the 
princess to be married to her cousin Francis, duke of Valois, 
*he presumptive heir to the crown. This was the third insuA 
which Maximilian had received in a similar manner, and he 
ardently longed for opportunities of revenge. 

11. The Venetians, enriched by a long monopoly 
of eastern commerce, which, notwithstanding the dis- |p-'r.Q 
covery of the passage round the cape of Good Hope, 
continued to flow for some years in its accustomed channels, 
had, by their haughtiness and ambition, offended ail the 
princes of southern Europe. Their most dangerous enemy 
was pope Julius, who formed against them the powerful league 
of Cambray ; by which the emperor, the pope, the kings of 
France and Spain, with the duke of Savoy, were united against 
the republic. 12. Louis was the first to take the field ; he 
almost annihilated the Venetian forces at the battle of Agnadello, 
and Venice would have been utterly ruined but for a new 
change in the policy of Julius. The senate conciliated 
the pontiff by the cession of all the towns that he de- -icifj 
manded ; upon which the pope, breaking his engage- 
ment with the allies, detached the king of Spain from their 
league by giving him the full and entire investi'ture of the 
kingdom of Naples, and turned a J the activity of his hatred 
against the king of France. 13. Louis, before entering on a 
war with the pope, consulted the clergy as to the lawfulness 
of a war with the head of the church, and having received a 
favourable answer, prepared to carry on the contest with 
vigour. The French gained many victories, especially one 
at Ravenna, where their favourite hero, Gaston de Foix, was 
slain ; but they obtained no permanent advantage, partly from 
the king's unwillingness to reduce Julius to extremities, and 
the scruples of his queen, who believed a war with the pope 
impious ; but still more from the hatred of the inhabitants, 
who were wearied of the French. 14, The Swiss, who had 
been long the faithful allies of Louis, were induced to join the 
papal side, because Louis had spoken of them slightingly, and 
refused to increase their pay, while the monarchs of England 
and Germany were silently preparing to dismember his do 
minions. 

15. In the midst of the struggles Julius died, a vic- 
tim to a violent fit of passion, and was succeeded by le'iq* 
Leo X. ; a prelate conspicuous for his talents and pa- 
tronage of literature, but whose vices rendered him unfit to be 
the head of the Christian Church ; he continued the war 



2J2 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ngainsv France, but was not so virulent an adversary as hw 
predecessor. 

16. Henry VIII. of England, eager to prove both his va- 
lour and his devotion to the cause of the church, invaded the 
province of Picardy in conjunction with the emperor Ms-ximi 
lian. The French, advancing to prevent him from besieging 
Terouenne, commenced an engagement at Guinnegate, where 
they were totally defeated, and the duke de Longueville with 
the celebrated chevalier Bayard, were among the prisoners. 
This is usually called the battle of the spurs, because the 
French made more use of them than of their swords on that 
day. In consequence of this victory Terouenne surrendered, 
but the two princes not being able to agree about its posses- 
sion, terminated their dispute by burning it to the ground. 
Tournay shortly after submitted, and was garrisoned by the 
English. 17. But Henry soon became wearied of the war, 
especially when his father-in-law, Ferdinand of Arragon, by 
whose means he had been chiefly induced to engage in it, re- 
fused to perform any of his promises. The death of the 
French queen suggested to the duke of Longueville apian for 
effecting a peace ; he proposed that Louis should marry the 
princess Mary,* Henry's sister, and that a large sum of money 
should be paid to defray the expenses of the war. 18. On 
these conditions the treaty was concluded, but the rejoicings 
on account of the marriage so weakened the constiiu- 
,_', ^' tion of Louis, already broken down by the vexations 
* resulting from fifteen years of unsuccessful warfare, 
that he died shortly after in the 53d year of his age, and the 
17th of his reign. 

19. The memory of Louis XII. was deservedly venerated 
by his subjects, because he diminished the old taxes one half 
and riever imposed any new, notwithstanding his long wars 
and numerous reverses. In vindication of his economy, he 
frequently said, " I had rather see the courtiers laugh at my 
avarice, than ray people weep on account of my expenses." 
Had he spared the blood of his subjects as well as their money, 
he would have better merited the applause of posterity ; but 
the desire of acquiring dominions in Italy seems to have been 



* This marriage was negociated by de Longueville, who haa oeen 
a prisoner ju England since tke battle of the spurs. She had been 
previously contracted to the Spanish prince Don Carlos, and had 
even taken the title ; but the object of her affections was the beauti 
ful and accomplished Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, to whorp 
she was married after the death of Louis. 



LOUIS XII. 213 

bng a mania of the French princes, of which they could not 
be cured, even by misfortune. When on his death-bed, Louis 
Bent for his heir, the duke of Valois, and embracing him said, 
•' I am dying, I commend my subjects to your care." Thus 
showing that anxiety for the welfare of his people occupied 
his last moments. 



Questions. 

1. How did Louis behave on his accession ? 

2. What caused a new war in Italy? 

3. Why was Louis anxious to conciliate the pope ? 

4 Did the French succeed in this new invasion of Italy 7 

5. What results followed from the alliance of the French and 

Spaniards against Naples 1 

6. What remarkable revolution took place in Italy? 

7. Did the French meet any reverses? 

8. What change took place in the fortunes of the house of Biw 

gundy? 

9. Did they suffer any calamities? 

10. What third insult was offered to Maximilian? 

11. Who formed the league of Cambray? 

12. Did the Venetians conciliate any of their adversaries? 

13. Why did not the French reap the fruit of their victories? 

14. What new alliance was formed against France ? 

15. What was the character of pope Julius? 

16. Was any remarkable victory oljtained by the £I»M;!ifih ? 

17. On what condition was peace concluded ? 

18. When did Louis die ? 

19. What was bis character ? 




A Courtier of the Fifteenth Century. 



214 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Francis 1. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



FRANCIS I. 



Hold, good sword, but tiiis day, 
And bite hard, where I hound thee ; and hereafter 
I'll make a relique of thee, for young soldiers 
To come like pilgrims to, and kiss for conquest. 

Beacmoht. 

1. Francis, count d'Angouleme and duke of Valois, 
J A J was in the twenty-first year of his age at the time of 
his accession ; he was brave, generous, and open- 
hearted, but at the same time rash and daring, ambitious of 
mihtary glory, but destitute of the wisdom and steadiness 
necessary for the completion of great enterprises. Like his 
predecessor he made the acquisition of the duchy of Milan 
his principal object, and like him he was destined to meet 
with great triumphs followed by signal disappointment 
Maximilian Sfor/a, who was at that lime duke of Milan, see- 
ing the storm ready to burst over his head, applied to the 
different princes of Europe for protection, and a confederacy 



FRANCIS I. 215 

was formed, consisting of the emperor, the pope, the Swiss 
cantons, and Ferdinand of Arragon, to prevent the French 
from re-establishing themselves in Italy. 2. The Swiss hav- 
mg secured the principal passes of the Alps, it was thought 
that Francis would be compelled to resign the contest; but 
Trevu-lzio, an old Milanese general in the service of France, 
led the army through the mountains of Piedmont, and at the 
same time the advanced guard having entered Italy by a dif^ 
ferent route, surprised the papal forces, and made their gei> 
eral. Prosper Colonna, prisoner. So little was the appearance 
of the enemy expected, that Colonna was preparing to sit 
down to dinner at the moment he was taken. 

3. On the news of this success, Francis hastened to join 
his army, which had already advanced within sight of Milan, 
The confederates, terrified at his rapid success, and not very 
-jlosely united amongst themselves, proposed terms of peace ; 
the treaty was on the point of being completed, when the 
arrival of 10,000 Swiss auxiliaries at once interrupted the 
oegociations. Eager for plunder they demanded to be led 
immediately to battle; their leaders were obliged to comply, 
and about four in the evening a furious attack was made on 
■he French camp at Marignano. 4. The advanced guard of 
ihe French, after some resistance, were compelled to give 
ground, but the king coming up with some of his choicest 
troops, prevented the enemy from pursuing their advantage. 
Never was there so well contested a fight. Trevulzio said 
that the twenty-five battles in which he had been before, were 
but children's play compared with this, which viras a battle of 
giants. The combat continued through a great part of the 
night, until both armies were so exhausted as to be compelled 
to desist by mutual consent. The soldiers on both sides were 
intermingled, but so complete was their lassitude, that they 
lay down to sleep in the order, or rather disorder, in which 
they found themselves. Francis spent the night on the car- 
riage of a gun, and was compelled to quench his thirst with a 
little water mingled with mud and blood, which a soldier 
brought him in his cap ; but fatigue and heat made even this 
draught a luxury. Before dawn Francis was on the alert, 
disposing his artillery, musketry, and Gascon cross-bows in the 
most favourable positions. The Swiss renewed the attack ai 
daylight, but the artillery and musketry placed on their flanks, 
threw their battalions into confusion, their lines began to 
waver ; at this decisive moment the cavalry charged, and cut 
lo pieces the disordered ranks by which they were opposed 



216 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

I^lie Swiss commanders made an effort to rally their forces, in 
which they were partially successful, but the appearance of 
Venetian troops advancing to the assistance of the French, 
convinced them that their case was hopeless; they retired in 
good order, but ten thousand of their best troops were left 
dead upon the plain. 

5. In consequence of this victory, Francis obtained posses- 
sion of Milan ; Maximilian Sforza resigned his claim to the 
duchy, in exchange for a pension ; the Swiss cantons agreed to 
a cessation of hostilities ; and the pope paid him a visit at Bo- 
logna, in order to treat with him in person. Having thus, as 
he believed, firmly established his power in Italy, the king re- 
turned to Lyons, where his mother and wife awaited him, so 
elated by his victory that he thought himself irresistible. 

6. In the following year died Ferdinand of Arragon, who 
had been the principal cause of all the wars that devastated the 
south of Europe ; one of his panegyrists observes, that " the 
only thing for which he deserves blame was his habit of al- 
ways breaking his word ;" a crime which the Italian historians 
seem to think very pardonable. On his death, Francis made 
some preparations for the invasion of Naples, but the deter- 
mination of the emperor, the Swiss, and all the Italian powers 
to check his further progress, prevented him from putting his 
intentions into execution. 7. Charles V. succeeded to the 
crowns of Arragon and Castile, as his mother was now sunk 
into confirmed insanity, and one of the first acts of his govern 
menl was to make peace with France. 

8. The death of the emperor Maximilian, the most 
._',q* extraordinary character of aU his cotemporaries, was 
destined to produce a great change in the politics of 
Europe. 9. This prince had been equally distracted by ava- 
rice and ambition ; his marriage with the heiress of Flanders 
and Burgundy, gave him a claim to the extensive dominions 
of Charles the Bold, but his efforts to recover them were weak 
and desultory ; on the death of his wife, the Flemings deprived 
him of all authority, and took upon* ttemselves the guardian- 
ship of his children, an arrangement to which he submitted 
with a very bad grace. A new opportunity of acquiring 
power was presented to him by Anne of Brittany, who chose 
him for her husband ; but Maximilian, instead of affording her 
any assistance, deserted her in the midst of her enemies ; she 
in consequence broke the contract and married the king of 
France. Maximilian in revenge made several confederacies 
agamst the French power, but as he always deserted his alhes 



FRANCIS I. 217 

n the time of action, all the preparations ended in nothing, 
♦.)ne of his schemes was to have himself elected pope, on the 
death of Julius II. ; but his unwillingness to pari with money, 
was probablj' the cause of his not coming forward as a candi- 
date at the election. 10. His reign will ever be memorable 
for the commencement of the Reformation in German3% Pope 
Leo X. had exhausted the papal treasury by the magnificent 
buildings which he erected in Rome, and in order to replenish 
his funds, issued bulls for the sale of indulgences ; Tzetzel, 
the papal agent in Germany, conducted the infamous traffic 
with such indecent vehemence, that he provoked IMartin Lu- 
ther, an Augustinian monk, to oppose the sale. The pope 
sided with Tzetzel, and in the progress of the dispute, Luthei 
was led to oppose not only indulgences, but several other gross 
corruptions which had crept into the Christian Church. The 
Romish clergy instead of making any concessions, which the 
increasing spread of knowledge imperatively required, clung 
to the corruptions as if they were the essentials of Christianity, 
and thus closed the door against all accommodation. Luther 
and his followers in Germany, Zuinghus in Switzerland, the 
remnant of Wickliffe's followers in England, and the descend- 
ants of the Albigenses, called Hugonots, in France, made al- 
most a simultaneous attack on the papal power, and finally 
succeeded in withdrawing a great part of Europe from its al- 
legiance to the holy see. 

11. On the death of JVTaximilian, Francis and Charles be- 
came candidates for the empire, protesting at the same time, 
that their rivalry would make no change in their mutual friend- 
ship. Charles was the successful candidate, partly by the ex- 
ertions of the duke of Saxony, who refused the empire him- 
self, and partly by the influence of a large sum of money, 
which had been sent from Spain to be distributed among the 
electors. In spite of his professions, Francis could not but feel 
disappointed at his defeat ; besides, he was justly alarmed at 
Lie increase of power obtained by his rival, who being the 
legal representative of the dukes of Burgundy, he feared 
might attempt to recover the possessions and avenge the wrongs 
of his family. 12. To secure himself from these threat- 
ening dangers, he courted an alliance with Henry VIII. yr^'^n 
of England, who was equally jealous of the increased 
power of Charles; an interview was arranged between the 
monarchs, and in June they met near Ardres, in a plain, called 
from the magnificence displayed there, the field of the doth 
of gold. After the young monarchs had met, they ahghted 
19 



2JS H.STORY OF FRANCE. 

and entereii into a pavilion prepared for their reception, r-ach 
attended by two or three ministers, where they held a brief 
conference on public affairs. They soon became wearied ot 
business, and spent the following fourteen days in festivals and 
tournaments. Before separating, they confirmed their treaty 
by a solemn oath on the sacrament, which they received to- 
gether. 13. Francis did not derive any advantages from this 
alliance, for Charles V. soon after took an opportunity of land- 
ing in England, and prevailed upon Wolsey by bribes and 
flatteries, to persuade his vacillating master to hold himself 
neuter, and to be ready to act as an umpire if required. 

14. A war soon commenced between Charles and Francis, 
each accusing the other of having been the first to commence 
hostilities. The two rivals somewhat resembled Louis IX. and 
Charles the Bold in their character and conduct. The empe- 
ror was cautious, prudent, and calculating, never hazarding 
any enterprise until he had taken every precaution to ensure 
its success; careful in his selection of ministers and generals, 
and more proud of skill in negociations than of glory in the 
field. The king, on the other hand, was hasty, rash, and im- 
provident, ready to undertake the most dangerous expeditions, 
but utterly regardless of his means ; extravagant in his plea- 
sures, the slave of his mother; a bold unprincipled woman, 
the dupe of corrupt ministers and unskilful generals. 15. The 
war first commenced in Flanders, where Francis had an op- 
portunity of crushing the power of his rival by a single blow, 
but neglected to avail himself of it, in order to annoy the con- 
stable, Charles of Bourbon, against whom he had conceived a 
fatal dislike. The constable had affronted the king's mother 
by some harsh ren)arks on her glaring vices, and had dis- 
pleased the king by the stern severity of his morals, but he 
was the only general then in France capable of managing an 
army. 16. In Italy the French were everywhere defeated, 
notwithstanding all the exertions of their leader, Lautrec ; and 
before the first year of the war had ended, they had been 
driven from all their conquests in the Milanese. This event 
gave so much pleasure to Leo X. that he died of joy. 

17. Francis, who was the real author of this calamiij'', as 
he had wasted the money required for the payment of the 
troops in luxury and debauchery, severely reproached Lautrec. 
for having suffered such a loss. The general threw the blame 
un Semblan^ai, the minister of finance, for not having furnished 
him with the means of satisfying the soldiers. Semblancai 
4eclarea tnat he hqd paid the rnoney to the queen -dowager 



FRANCIS I. 



219 



and offered to produce her receipt; but that princess dn>ading 
an exposure, had bribed a clerk in the treasury to steal the 
receipt, and the venerable minister was sentenced to be exe 
cuti^d. The chancellor du Prat is said to have participated in 
this crime, from envy of the influence that Semblan^'ai had 
with the king, who always called him " his father." Du Prat 




Tlie Chancellor du Prat and his Wife. 



A. D. 

1523. 



was then employed to raise money, which was effected by the 
most illegal and scandalous methods : the royal domains were 
alienated, the offices of state publicly sold to the highest bid- 
der, and the taxes, already oppressive, were doubled. 
18. The artifices of Wolsey, who expected to be 
raised to the papacy by the influence of Charles, had 
.nduced Henry to join in the war against Francis, but 
the king's folly and his mother's iniquity raised up a mort; 
dangerous enemy in the bosom of his kingdom. We have 
already seen that the constable of Bourbon had been treated 
with neglect, but the king's mother, not satisfied with this, 
resolved to rob him of his property. For this purpose she 
laid claim to ihe duchy of Bourbon, and as she had the selec- 
tion of the judges by whom her claims were to be tried, it was 
not difficult to foresee how the matter would be decided. At 
the same time the admiral Bonivet, who looked upon the con 
stable as his rival, laboured to widen the breach between him 
and 1^3 king, and succeeded so completely, that Bourbon was 



220 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

reduced to despair. In his distress, he adopted the unfortU' 
nate resolution of deserting- to Charles. Francis was on the 
point of setting out for Italy when the defection of Bourbon 
alarmed him with the danger of an insurrection at home; but 
notwithstanding this peril, and though an English army had 
actually invaded France, he sent Bonivet across the Alps to 
make another effort for the recovery of the Milanese. 

19. Bonivet was by no means a match for Launoy, Pescara, 
and Bourbon, the generals of Charles ; after an infinite num- 
ber of errors, which he was unable to repair, he found himself 
compelled to retreat, hotlj. pursued by his justly exasperated 
enemy the constable of Bourbon. The French did not, how- 
ever, suffer much during the retreat, owing to the admirable 
arrangements of the chevalier Bayard, who commanded the 
rear. This favourite hero of the age was the last model of 
chivalry that appeared in Europe ; he was usually called the 
knight without fear and without reproach, (le chevalier sans 
peur et sans reproche) ; though he held only the rank of cap- 
lain, he really possessed more influence than any general, 
from the universal respect and admiration inspired by his high 
character. 20. Unfortunately, while engaged in repelling an 
attack on the rear-guard, he was mortally wounded ; unwil- 
ling that the army should be delayed by his misfortune, he 
ordered himself to be placed against a tree with his face 
toward the enemy. In this condition he was found by the 
constable, who began to lament the chance of war that had 
reduced so noble a knight to such a miserable condition ; be* 
Bayard declared, " I am not an object of pity, sir duke ; J die 
happy in having performed my duty to my king and country; 
it is you who deserve pity, w'ho are bearing arms against your 
native land, forgetting that the death of every traitor is violent, 
and his memory detested." 

21. France was now on every side encompassed with 
1^24.' tiangers; Charles, Henry, and the Bourbon, had en- 
* tered into a treaty of partition for dividing it between 
them; Henry was to have the provinces which formerly be- 
longed to England, the Bourbon was to receive the ancient 
kingdom of Provence, and all the rest was to be given to 
Charles. But it was nece.ssary to conquer France before di- 
viding it, and in this the confederates totally failed ; Bourbon 
invaded the country, but not one of his former partizans would 
take up arms in his behalf; the English king did not send the 
promised subsidies, the en)peror withheld the auxiliaries ne- 
cessary to recruit the invading army, and on the approach of 



FRANCIS I. 221 

Francis with a numerous train, the constable was obliged to 
raise the siege of Marseilles, and retreat precipitately into 
Italy. 22. Thither, with his characteristic imprudence, Francis 
resolved to follow him. He was at first very successful, Milan 
surrendered without any resistance, the imperial generals fled 
before him, and had Francis pursued their dispirited forces, 
be would probably have put a glorious end to the war; but 
yielding to the injudicious advice of Bonivet, he laid siege to 
Pavia, a well-fortified town, defended by a numerous garrison 
under the command of Antonio de Leyva, a general of great 
abilities. At the same time Francis weakened his army by 
Rending one detachment to invade the kingdom of Naples, and 
mother to take possession of Savona. 

23. The siege of Pavia went on but slowly ; so great 
A'as the improvidence of the king, that his attacks jcor* 
were frequently suspended from want of ammunition, 
ind his schemes disconcerted by want of wisdom in his offi* 
".ers and discipline in his soldiers. Meantime, Launoy and 
Bourbon having recovered from their panic, advanced with a 
numerous army to raise the siege. Had Francis retreated on 
irheir approach, he might easily have entrenched himself in 
Milan, and set the imperialists at defiance, but he had made a 
promise not to stir from before Pavia until it had submitted, 
ind all persuasions to the contrary were useless. 24. On the 
night of the 23d of February, the imperialists attacked the 
camp of the French, but were repulsed from the entrench- 
ments with some loss ; Francis, believing that victory was 
now in his hands, imprudently sallied out, and by the impetu- 
osity of his charge, threw the hostile cavalry into confusion; 
but Bourbon coming up, rallied his forces, and introducing 
some bodies of musketry between the troops of horse, com- 
pelled the French to give ground in turn. At this moment, 
Ley\a, making a sally from the town, fell on the rear of the 
French ; the effect of this manoeuvre was decisive ; placed 
between two fires, the lines were everywhere broken. The 
duke d'Alencon, first prince of the blood, seized with a dis- 
graceful panic, set the example of a shameful flight, and neve, 
halted until he arrived at Lyons, where he soon after died of 
shame and vexation ; several of the nobility followed him, and 
Francis was left almost alone in the midst of his enemies. 
Yet, even in this distress, the king showed a courage worthy 
of his fame ; he fought gallantly against the fearful odds by 
which he was opposed, and when all hope was gone, he re- 
fused to yield himself to the traitor Bourbon," but surrende'^d 
19* 



222 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

himself a prisoner to Launoy. The French had not raei with 
so great a calamity since the battle of Poicliers, their king was 
a captive, the flower of their nobihty and the best of theii 
soldiers were slain. Bonivet fell amongst the rest, and when 
Bourbon saw his dead body, he exclaimed, " Unfortunate man, 
vou have ruined France, yourself, and me." 

25, The battle of Pavia produced terror in France, joy in 
Spain, jealousy in England, and dissatisfaction in Italy. Louisa 
of Savoy, the king's mother, took upon herself the regency, 
and by her prudent conduct, restored order and confidence to 
France. Wolsey, finding that he had been duped by Charles 
inspired his capricious master with so much distrust of the 
emperor, that Henry entered into a league with the regent to 
preserve the integrity of France. The Italian states, dreading 
to be overwhelmed by the victorious Charles, entered into a 
confederacy for their mutual protection, while the emperor 
himself affected to conceal his joy under an appearance of 
moderation, but rejected the counsels of those who advised him 
to immortalize himself by an act of generosity, and set Francis 
at liberty without ransom. 26. Launoy did not know in what 
manner to secure his illustrious captive ; if he kept him in 
Italy, he had reason to dread that the Swiss or the Italian 
princes would rescue him in hopes of obtaining a reward ; the 
number and strength of the French galleys rendered it dan- 
gerous to send him by sea to Spain, and the journey to Ger- 
many was equally hazardous. In this dilemma, Launoy craftily 
suggested to Francis that every thing might be arranged by a 
personal interview with Charles ; weary of his imprisonment, 
the king eagerly caught at the proposal, and issuing orders to 
his naval forces, not to intercept him on the voyage, allowed 
himself to be quietly transmitted to Spain. 

27. On his arrival there, he was not received by the em- 
peror as he expected, but was shut up a close prisoner in the 
tower of Madrid. Vexation for his losses, and that delay of 
hope which makes the heart sick, soon produced a violent fit 
of illness that brought the royal captive to the verge of disso- 
lution ; Charles dreading that his prisoner would thus escape, 
and deprive him of his expected advantages, paid him a visit, 
and held out expectations of a speedy and honourable accom- 
modation. This gleam of hope restored the health of Francis, 
t)ut his captivity was prolonged for several months. 28. At 
'ength it was agreed that he should be liberated on condition 
of paying a large ransom, resigning to Charles the duchy of 
Burgundy, and all the provinces claimed by the French in 



FRANCIS I. 223 

Italy, giving his two sons as hostages, and plighting his kingly 
word, that if the conditions of the treaty were not observed, he 
would return to prison. 

29. But Francis had no intention of dismembering 
his kingdom ; under the pretence that the states of |*cg« 
Burgundy would not consent to the proposed arrange- 
ment, he refused to give Charles that province, and at the 
same time entered into an alliance with the king of England, 
the pope, and the princes of Italy, to check the alarming 
power of the emperor. Nothing could equal the indignation 
of Charles when he learned this news ; he saw that he had 
lost an opportunity which he could scarcely hope to regain, 
and that he had been guilty of a harsh ungenerous action 
without obtaining any advantage. He vented his indignation 
on the unfortunate young princes who had been left to him as 
hostages, conduct which served only to increase the hostility 
of Francis, and to excite the indignation of all the European 
princes. 



Questions. 

1. In what wav Jid Francis I. engage ? 

2. What success had his forces ? 

3. How was a treaty of peace prevented ? 

4. What were the circumstances of the battle of Marignanof 

5. What were the consequences of this victory? 

6 What was the character of Ferdinand of Arragon ? 

7. By whom was he succeeded ? 

8. What were tlie consequences of the death of the emperor 

Maximilian ? 

9. Are not some strange instances recorded of his avarice and 

ambition ? 

10. What remarkable revolution commenced in his reign? 

11. Who were the competitors for the empire? 

12. Where had Francis a remarkable interview with Henry VIII.' 

13. Why was the treaty with England productive cf no beneficial 

result ? 

14. How are the characters of Francis and his rival Charles coa* 

trasted ? 

15. What error did Francis commit in Flanders'? 

16. How was the campaign in Italy mismanaged? 

17. What innocent person suffered in consequence 7 
18 Why did the constable Bourbon revolt? 

19. How did Bonivet manage the war in Italy? 

20. What was remarkable in the death of Bayard? 
21 How did the invasion of France succeed' 



224 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



22. What 'own did Francis besiege"* 

23. How was the siege conducted ? 

24. What were the events of the battle of Pavia? 

25. What were its consequences 1 

26. Whither was Francis sent as a prisoner ? 

27. How was he treated ? 

28. On what conditions was he liberated ? 

29. Were they fulfilled ? 




Monument of Montmannef. 



FRANCIS I. 



225 




f ranch Knight of the Sixteenth Century. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



FRANCIS I. CONTINUED. 



Fight like your first sire, each Roman, 
Alaric was a gentle foeman, 
Match'd with Bourbon's black banditti! 
Rouse thee, thou eternal city ! 



BXHOS. 



A. n 
1527 



1. Charles, anxious to regain his Italian acquisi- 
tions, sent the constable Bourbon to seize the Milanese 
territory, promising him the investiture of the duchy, 
to the exclusion of Sforza. Bourbon having soon subdued the 
Milanese, prepared to march against Rome, in order to satisfy 
'vitii its plunder his soldiers, who were mutinous for want o< 



226 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

pay . On the evening of the 5th of May, the imperialists ar 
rived before the walls of Rome, and on tlie following morning 
the orders for the assault were given. 2. The constable waa 
slain by a musket-shot at the very first onset, but his death 
being concealed from the soldiers, they advanced as if ani- 
mated by his spirit, and " the immortal city" fell into the hands 
of barbarians, as savage and as merciless as those hordes 
whose ravages had before levelled her beauties to the earth. 
For several months the city remained in the possession of the 
imperialists, and was the theatre of every crime which the 
worst passions of the heart could dictate, or the fiercest vio- 
lence execute. The pope was taken prisoner, and was long 
in great danger of his life from those who pretended to be his 
most devoted adherents ; for it is a strange circumstance, that 
the Catholic Spaniards evinced more hostility on this occasion 
to the city and the pope than was shown by the Germans, 
who were for the most part Lutherans. 3. This event occa- 
sioned two other strange proceedings, which may well be 
styled solemn farces. The imperialists gravely proclaimed 
Martin Luther pope ! The emperor, upon receiving news of 
the captivity of his holiness, instead of sending orders to set 
him at liberty, ordered prayers to be offered up, and proces- 
sions to be made for his deliverance, after which he compelled 
him to purchase his freedom with a large ransom. The con- 
querors of Rome, by their excesses, soon destroyed themselves ; 
a pestilence broke out among them, and out of all their force.« 
scarcely five hundred survived when the city was liberated by 
the French general Lautrec, ten months after its capture. 

4. The war between Francis and Charles was now renewed, 
but it was not productive of any very important events ; the 
rival sovereigns mutually gave each other the lie, and sent 
challenges to decide their disputes by single combat, but these 
indecent bravadoes served only to make both contemptible. 
5. Meantime, Italy was a prey to the ravages of war. The 
French at first had the advantage, and Pavia was sacked with 
tl.e utmost cruelty in memory of the battle that had been lost 
before it. But Andrew Doria, a Genoese of distinction, who 
had essentially aided the French with the galleys of his re- 
public, became suddenly discontented with the conduct of 
E'rancis ; he went over to the emperor, and fortune changed 
with him. The same errors which had produced former 
calamities were repeated ; the money raised for the support 
of the army was lavished by the king and his court in luxury, 
the suj^plies were delayed until they were no longer useful ; 



FRANCIS I. 22? 

the siege of Naples, undertaken by the French general Lau- 
tree, was protracted with obstinacy as blind and fatal as thai 
which Francis had displayed at Pavia ; and at length the 
entire army was obliged to surrender to the imperialists, almost 
at discretion, f). This contest, as well as many others, was 
attended with no other fruit than the spilling of human blood; 
but at length the course of these numerous calamities was 
suspended by the treaty of Cambray, concluded for the two 
monarchs by two women, the duchess of Angouleme 
and Margaret of Austria, governess of the Low Coun- icon 
tries. 7. Francis I. abandoned his allies, gave up his 
claim on Milan, his lordship of Artois and Flanders, and en- 
gaged to pay two millions of gold crowns for the ransom of his 
children; Charles V., besides these advantages, reserving to 
himself the power of prosecuting at law his pretensions to 
Burgundy. Sforza had the Milanese, and by an article of a 
treaty before concluded between the pope and the emperor, 
the Medicis were to be reinstated in the government of 
Florence. The ransoming of the two French princes was 
found a diificult task in the exhausted state of the finances, 
and could not have been effected but for the generous assist- 
ance of Henry VIII., who presented Francis with a consider- 
able sum of money. 

8. The followers of Luther, about this time, took the name 
of protectants, because they protested against an edict issued 
at Spires, prohibiting innovations in religion. They also pub- 
lished an authentic statement of their principles, drawn up by 
Philip Melancthon, the most moderate of Luther's followers; 
this important document is usually called the confession of 
Augsburg, from the place where it was written. Soon after, 
perceiving that their ruin was determined upon, the protestant 
princes entered into an alliance called the league of Smalkald, 
and applied for assistance to Francis, the inveterate enemy of 
the emperor, and Henry VIIL, who was now in open hostility 
with the pope. 

9. Charles V. did not, however, immediately proceed to 
extremities with his protestant subjects ; the necessity of check- 
ing the increasing power of the Turks, and his anxiety to se- 
cure his superiority in Italy, compelled him to temporize; and 
by the aid of those persons on whose destruction he was re- 
solved, the emperor obtained several triumphs over the Turks 
in Hungary and the Moors in Africa. Francis, during the 
peace, employed himself in improving the city of Paris, and 
indulging his taste for the fine arts, but he had not laid asid« 



228 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

his ambiaou and thirst for revenge. From the time that he 
had signed the humiliating treaty of Cambray, he meditated 
new projects of war, and used every effort to stir up all the 
powers of Europe, but his measures did not succeed. Pope 
Clement VII., whose niece he had married to his second sor 
Henry, died before any advantage could be derived from the 
alliance. Henry VIII. was too much embarrassed with the 
consequences of his divorce to engage in any hazardous enter- 
prise, and the members of the league of Smalkald, irritated 
by Francis's conduct to the French protestants, refused him 
the least assistance. 

10 Francis had indeed acted with a violence sufficient tc 
etir up the professors of the new rehgion against him. Some 
fanatics having posted up libels against the clergy and the 
eucharist, he ordered a solemn procession, in order to efface 
the scandal, and assisted at it himself with a torch in hia 
hand ; he afterwards pronounced a vehement speech before 
the bishop of Paris, in which he said, "that if one of his 
hmbs was infected with heresy, he would cut it ofT, and would 
sacrifice his own son if he found him guilty of that crime." 
To conclude the scene, six Lutherans were burned alive in 
the most cruel manner, being alternately let down and drawn 
up from the flames by means of a machine, until they ex- 
pired. 

11. The war between Charles and Francis was soon 
IMC renewed with all its former violence; the emperor in- 
vaded Provence, but by the judicious measures of the 
constable Montmorency, was compelled to retreat with pre- 
cipitation. The French king summoned Charles to appear 
before the parliament as his vassal for Flanders and Artois ; 
no notice of course was taken of the summons, and the two 
fiefs were declared legally confiscated. After two years of 
desultory warfare, a truce was concluded. 12. The in- 
habitants of Ghent, dissatisfied with the heavy taxes imposed 
upon them by Charles, broke out into open rebellion and 
ofTered to aid Francis in the subjugation of Flanders, if he 
would grant them his protection ; but he was infatuated with 
the desire of the duchy of iVIilan, the investiture of which he 
ardently desired, and in hopes to obtain it, he betrayed the 
whole negociation to the emperor. Charles, perfectly ac- 
quainted with the character of his rival, engaged to grant him 
the object of his desires, provided that he would permit the 
emperor and his train to pass through France in his way to the 
Low Countries ; Francis readily assented ; Charles was re- 



FRANClo 



229 




Charles V. and Francis I. Visiting the Tomb of St. Oei js. 

ceived with the greatest pomp, remained seven days at Paris, 
where he was loaded with marks of friendship and confidence, 
and after visiting the Tomb of St. Denis in company with 
Francis, he was permitted to depart without even leaving any 
authentic testimony of his promises. Ghent was soon re- 
duced, the rebels in Flanders forced to yield themseJA'es to the 
mercy of the emperor, but the promises made to Francis were 
forgotten. 

13. War again recommenced, Henry VIII. a second 
time embraced the cause of Charles, and France was 
invaded by their united armies. Inevitable destruction 
would have overtaken the kingdom had the invaders acted in 
concert, but their mutual jealousies prevented them from un- 
dertaking any thing of importance ; on the other hand, the 
army of the empire might have perished by famine but for 
the treachery of the king's mistress, who betrayed the coun- 
cils of her lover to Charles. A new treaty was concluded at 
Cressy, by which it was stipulated that the investiture of the 
Milanese should be given to the duke of Orleans on his mar* 
tiage with the daughter or niece of the emperor. The death 
20 



A. D. 

1542. 



230 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

of this prince soon after nullified this article, and the Milanese 
remained in the possession of Charles. The war with Henry 
VIII. continued for some time longer, but at length terms of 
accommodation were agreed to, and Henry retained posses- 
sion of Boulogne as a security for an annuity of 800,000 
crowns, to be paid him during eight years, by Francis. 

14. Neither of these princes long survived the treaty. 
, *.J Henry VIII. died in January; and Francis in the 
March following. His funeral procession was the most 
"mposing ceremony that had been hitherto witnessed in France. 
Vhe follies and errors of Francis were pardoned for the sake 
of his magnificence and generosity ; the tears of his people 
watered his hearse, and his memory was consecrated by the 
eulogiums of the hterary men, of whom he had been ever a 
generous patron. But the bigotry of which Francis afforded 
an example, and the persecutions which he not merely 
tolerated but encouraged, were the deepest stains on his cha- 
racter. One instance will suffice. The parliament at Aix 
had issued an arret against the Protestants so very atrocious, 
that its execution was for some years suspended by the court. 
They had condemned to the flames as heretics, all the mas- 
tors of famihes of Merindoi, at the same time giving orders to 
raze all the houses of that large market-lown, and even to rooL-- 
up the trees of the neighbouring forests. The cardinal de 
Tournon persuaded Francis to have this barbarous decree put 
in execution. As soon as the court had granted its permis- 
sion, two magistrates, more deserving the name of execution- 
ers, at the head of a body of troops, proceeded to commit the 
most horrid cruelties. They massacred three thousand per- 
sons without distinction of age or sex. Merindoi, with 
twenty-two other towns and villages, fell a prey to the flames. 
An act of barbarity so calculated to bring odium on the re- 
ligion in support of which it was perpetrated, that it may be 
looked on as the signal for those dreadful wars, which bigotry 
and fanaticism soon after kindled in the kingdom. 

15. Francis died in the fifty-third year of his age and the 
thirty-second of his reign ; he was succeeded by his second 
son, Henry; Francis, the eldest, having died by poison several 

?'ears before his father. The poison was administered by an 
talian physician named Montecuculi, at the instigation, as 
Bome say, of the emperor, but as others, with more pro- 
bability, assert, at the command of Catherine de Medicis, the 
wife of prince Henry. 



FRANCIS I. 



231 



Questions. 

1. What enterprise was undertaken by the Bourbon ? 

2. How were the Romans treated by the victors ? 

3. What absurd scenes were acted? 

4. In what foolish manner did the rival monarchs behave? 

5. How was the war carried on in Italy ? 

6. By whom was a treaty of peace negociated ? 

7. What were the conditions of the treaty 7 

8. How did the followers of Luther act at this time ? 

9. In what manner were Charles and Francis employed during 

the interval of peace ? 

10. How did Francis show his bigotry ? 

11. With what piece of absurdity did he commence the WM 

against Charles V.? 

12. What great opportunity did Francis neglect? 

13. How was the war terminated ? 

14. What was the character of Francis ? 

16. Why did not his eldest son succeed him 7 




Catherine de Medicii. 



232 



HlSTORf OF FRANCE. 




CHAPTER XXVI. 



HENRY II.— FRANCIS 11. 

What trivial influences hold dominion 

O'er wise men's counsels, and the fate of empire! 

The greatest schemes that human wit can forge, 

Or bold ambition dares to put in practice, 

Depend upon our husbanding a moment, 

And the light lasting of a woman's will ! Rows. 

1. Francis on his death-bed had given his son a 
^-\J great deal of good counsel, and amongst other matters, 
had advised him to beware of the ambition of "the 
house of Lorraine," and not to recal the constable de Mont- 
morenci, whom he had sent into banishment ; the tomb had 
scarcely closed over him, when Francis, duke d'Aumale, the 
son of Claude, duke of Guise, the most powerful of the Lor- 
raine family, was loaded with favours, and Montmorenci sum- 
moned to court. 2. Henry, like his father, was devotedly 
attached to his favourites ; the person by whom he was most 



HENRY II. 233 

ntiuenced was Diana of Poictiers, a lady neither very young 
nor very handsome, yet whose arts and accompHshments 
enabled her to maintain a complete supremacy over the king's 
affections. This had, however, one beneficial effect, it 
checked the influence of the queen, Catherine de Medicis, a 
woman capable of every crime, and not possessed of a single 
virtue. 3. The situation of Europe was at the moment of 
Henry's accession very critica.1 ; the Protestants in Germany, 
weakened by the defection of Maurice of Saxony, were placed 
almost at the mercy of the emperor; the council of Trent, 
which had been for some time assembled, were strenuously 
labouring to restore the papal supremacy; in England, the 
guardians of young Edward were employed in endeavouring 
to aggrandize themselves, regardless of the honour or good of 
the country; the neighbouring slate of Scotland v\'as similarly 
distracted during the minority of its infant sovereign, the un- 
fortunate Mary, and there seemed to be no means left by 
which the exorbitant power of the house of Austria could be 
checked. 

4. But at the very moment when every thing seemed 
to promise Charles the quiet possession of ail his acqui- -i-'-o 
sitions, a sudden and unexpected revolution overthrew 
the fabric which he had spent so many years in erecting. 
Maurice of Saxony, foreseeing the utter ruin which impended 
over the Protestant religion and the liberties of Germany, 
secretly prepared a league against the emperor, and secured 
the assistance of the French king. So well were all his pro- 
ceedings concealed, that he was commissioned by the emperor 
to conduct the siege of Magdeburg, at the very time that he 
was making preparations for the war. Magdeburg surren- 
dered on conditions apparently the most favourable to the 
interests and wishes of Charles, but measures were at the same 
time privateiy taken to make all these stipulations ineffectual. 
At length when every thing was ripe for action, Maurice pub- 
lished a manifesto calculated to gain men of every party. He 
declared that his design was to secure the Protestant religion, 
to maintain the liberties of Germany, and to deliver the land- 
grave of Hesse from his unjust confinement. So rapid were 
his movements, that the emperor narrowly escaped being 
made a prisoner at Inspruck, and was obliged, notwithstanding 
lii? illness, to be conveyed across the Alps in a Utter during a 
heavy storm of wind and rain. Henry, on the other side, as- 
sumed the title of Protector of the Germanic liberties, and 
marched his troops into Lorraine, where he scarcely met with 
20* 



234 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

any resistance. Toul, Verdun, and Metz, which had beer 
long considered the bulwarks of the empire on that side, sur 
rendered, and have ever since remained in possession of the 
French. 

5. Charles finding himself destitute of men and money, was 
obliged to submit to the demands of the German princes ; a 
treaty was concluded at Passaw, by which the religious hberiy 
of the Protestants, and the independence of the German statea 
was secured ; but no mention was made of the king of France, 
who experienced the treatment thai foreign princes generally 
meet when they interfere in a civil war. 6. The emperor, 
eager to regain the frontier towns from the French, hasted to 
lay siege to Mentz, whose dilapidated fortifications made him 
expect an easy conquest. But the duke of Guise, assisted by 
several of the young nobilit}^ who came as volunteers from 
every part of France, made such an excellent defence, that 
Charles was obliged to raise the siege. So much had his 
troops suffered from cold and famine, that several entire battal- 
ions surrendered to the duke of Guise, who harassed the 
retreat, without firing a shot. With humanity the more credit- 
able as it was unusual at the period, the duke of Guise treated 
his prisoners with the greatest humanity. The next year 
Charles was more successful at the siege of Tourenne, but 
having taken the place by assauh, he put the entire garrison 
to the sword, and so efl^ectually destroyed the town, that its 
very ruins have perished. 

7. The fatigues and disappointments which Charles 
, Jf. J had undergone, produced an injurious effect both on 
his mental and bodily health ; the death of his mother, 
to whom he was ardently attached, increased his weariness of 
the world ; he resolved to retire from the busy stage of life, 
where he had so long played a conspicuous part, and spend 
the remainder of his life in seclusion. He resigned the crown 
of Spain to his son, Philip 11., an ambitious, hypocritical bigot, 
who had been lately married to the English queen, Mary, a 
princess every way worthy of him. In the following year, 
Charles gave up the empire to his brother Ferdinand, and 
retired into a monastery in Spain. 8. His last public act 
was the conclusion of a truce with the French, in order to 
secure the peaceable commencement of his son's reign. Bui 
this suspension of arms did not long continue ; pope Paul IV., 
anxious to extend the dominions of the holy see, entreated 
Henry to aid him in expelling the Spaniards from Italy 
promising that he would give him-the investiture of the king* 



HENRY II. 235 

(iom of Naples as a reward. The exptiience of the last cen- 
tury ought to have convinced the Freneh of the perfidy of the 
[talian princes, and the uncertainty of any possessions in that 
country ; but the monarchs were infatuated with the desire of 
dominions beyond the Alps, and to obtain transitory glory, 
neglected permanent advantages. 9. The duke of Guise led 
an army into Italy, but his success did not answer his expec- 
tations ; pride and presumption prompted him to efforts which 
produced nothing but reverses, and he would have entirely 
lost his brilliant reputation, had not greater disasters at home 
recalled him to a new scene. 

10. While the duke of Guise was making fruitless attacks 
on the kingdom of Naples, Philip, aided by the English, had 
sent a numerous army, commanded by the duke of Savoy, to 
invade France, The invaders laid siege to St. Q,uentin, 
which was gallantly defended by the admiral Coligny, nephew 
to the constable Montmorenci. But as the garrison was in 
adequate to the defence of the place, the constable, conscious 
of its importance, advanced to its rehef, and after experiencing 
considerable difficulties, succeeded in throwing a small garri- 
son into the town. Having performed this duly, he would 
gladly have retreated without coming to an engagement, but 
the Spaniards pursued him with so much celerity, that he was 
obliged to fight without having time to put his men in order 
of battle. The valour of the French kept the fate of the day 
undecided for four hours, but they were finally defeated with. 
the loss of their baggage, artillery, and the greater part of their 
army. Four thousand men, of whom six hundred were gen- 
tlemen, fell ; the constable with a great number of the nobility 
were made prisoners ; France had not experienced so calami- 
tous a defeat since the days of Cre^y and Azincourt. 

11. The ignorance and obstinacy of Philip prevented him 
from obtaining any decisive advantages from this splendid 
victory. Instead of advancing against Paris, he ordered the 
duke of Savoy to continue the .siege of St, Q,uentin, Its gov- 
ernor, Coligny, maintained the town against the victorious 
army for three weeks longer, and during that time, Henry 
had made such preparations as enabled him to set the Span- 
iards at defiance. 12, Never did France exhibit a more 
patriotic spirit; the nobility assembled from every quarter to 
defend the kingdom ; the cities and towns subscribed large 
sums to pay the troops, and the peasants hastily formed them 
selves into a rude militia to check the advance of the invaders 
13. The return of the duke of Guise still further tended t« 



236 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

elevate the spirits of the French ; his popularity does not ap. 
pear to have been destroyed by his misconduct in Ita.y ; ana 
his first enU'rprise after his return completely effaced the 
memory of his former errors. Calais, the last remnant of the 
conquests of Edward III., had remained in the possession of 
the English during more than two centuries. Its garrison was 
always diminished during the winter, when it was supposed 
to be secure from the dangers of a siege. The duke of Guise 
y Q came before it while thus unprepared, and after a 

,plo' Aveak defence of only eight days, the town was sur- 
rendered. The popularity of this success added 
greatly to the power of the duke of Guise, which was still 
further strengthened in the following year, by the marriage of 
the dauphin to his niece Mary, the young queen of Scotland. 

14. In the following year a treaty was concluded at Cha- 
teau-Cambresis, between Philip and Henry, in which the 
English queen Elizabeth was included. To strengthen the 
union it was agreed that Philip should marry the eldest 
daughter of Henry, and that his sister should be united to the 
duke of Savoy. 15. The most brilliant preparations were 
made for the celebration of these nuptials, and tournaments 
(which were not yet out of fashion) were celebrated at Paris. 
The king, who excelled in these chivalrous exercises, ran 
several courses with great success ; but at length, while tilting 
with the count of Montgomery, a splinter of the lance entered 
his eye, and he fell without sense or motion to the ground. 
He survived in a state of insensibility for eleven days, and 
then expired, in the forty-first year of his age and the thir- 
teenth of his reign. 

16. The persecution of the protestants was rigorously con- 
tinued during this entire reign. They were burned alive 
without mercy, the judges were prohibited from alleviating the 
severity of the sentence ; those who petitioned in their favour, 
were themselves subjected to the penalties of heresy ; and 
some members of the parliament were sent to prison for re- 
monstrating against the severity of these edicts. The family 
of Lorraine, with the duke of Guise at their head, were the 
principal patrons of persecution ; but in spite of their effort* 
the number of protestants increased every day. 

17. Francis II. was but sixteen years old at the time 

,_"_Q of his father's death; feeble both in body and mind, 

he was incapable of managing the -affairs of the state, 

she admmistraiion of the government devolved in consequence 

DP. the duke of Guise and the cardinal of Lorraine, uncles to 



FRANCIS II. 



237 




Francis II. 



the queen. Catherine de Medicis, 
the king's mother, anxious to obtain 
the management of affairs, adroitly 
increased the jealousies that sub- 
sisted between the families of Lor- 
raine and Bourbon, while the con- 
stable Montmorenci sought to re- 
cover the authority which he had 
possessed in the former reign. 18. 
Religion was another source of dis- 
cord, Coligni and d'Andelot, ne- 
phews of the constable, and the 
prince of Conde, the youngest of 
the Bourbon princes, were steady 
protestants ; but the queen, the con- 
stable, and the entire Lorraine 
family, were bitter persecutors of 
all who professed the principles of 
the reformation. The head of the 
house of Bourbon was first prince 
of the blood, and king of Navarre, but the latter was little 
more than a nominal title, as the greater part of Navarre had 
been seized by the Spaniards in 1512, and nothing left to its 
former possessors but a few districts east of the Pyrenees. 
The party of the duke of Guise, supported by the queen and 
the clergy, triumphed over the friends of the Bourbons ; they 
renewed the persecutions of the former reign with greater 
severity, and established tribunals called Les chambres ar- 
denies, because they condemned protestants to flames. 

19. These atrocities roused the persecuted to resistance, a 
conspiracy was formed to destroy the family of Guise, and 
place all the authority of the stale in the hands of the Bour- 
bons ; but all who shared in the plot were sworn to attempt 
nothing against the king, the two queens, and the princes. 
By the imprudence of La Renaudie, one of the leaders, the 
whole plot was discovered ; the court retired to Amboise on 
the Loire, the duke of Guise was appointed lieutenant-general 
of the kingdom, and detachments of soldiers stationed on tha 
several roads, arrested the parties of conspirators who were 
proceeding to the appointed place of rendezvous. 20. These 
unfortunate men were mercilessly butchered, twelve hundred 
were put to death in Amboise by the most cruel tortures, while 
Catherine de Medicis and the ladies of the court witnessed 
their sufferings as a most gratifying spectacle. The prince of 



238 HISTV.RY OF FRANCE. 

Conde was more than suspected of having had a share in this 
conspiracy, but he defended himself with so much eloquence 
i\nd ability before the council that he was set at liberty. 

21. Soon after these transactions, the admiral Coligny had 
the courage to present a memorial in favour of the protesiants, 
to the king in council. A debate ensued, in which two 
bishops, John de Moutluc and Charles de Marsilac, strenu- 
ously advocated the cause of the petitioners, asserting that the 
religious schism was not so much attributable to the preaching 
of the reformers as to the tyranny of the pontiffs and ignorance 
of the clergy. The result of this council was a convocation 
of the states-general at Orleans. 22. The king of Navarre 
and the prince of Conde were summoned to attend, and a 
solemn pledge for their safety was given. They had, how- 
ever, scarcely arrived when they were arrested and thrown 
into prison. They had formed a new conspiracy against the 
Guises, which had been betrayed by one of their agents, and 
their destruciion was fully determined. The prince of Conde 
refused to plead before the commissioners appointed to con- 
duct his trial, and appealed to the court of peers. Sentence 
of death was passed against him, but the chancellor de 
I'Hopital, the only honest minister in the court of France, 
exerted himself to save the prince, and interposed so many 
delays that he eventually succeeded ; for while Conde was 
thus on the brink of destruction, the king was suddenly seized 
with an abscess in the head, and died after an illness of a few 
days. This unexpected event caused an immediate change in 
the politics of all parties ; Catherine de Medicis set the prince 
of Conde at liberty, because she wished to secure the aid of 
the Bourbons in checking the power of the house of Lor- 
raine. 

23. Francis was notOjuite eighteen months upon the throne, 
and had just attained his seventeenth year at the time of his 
death. His remains were treated with the greatest neglect, 
so intent were the queen-mother and the rival princes to secure 
their own power. His unfortunate consort, Mary, queen of 
Scots, was compelled to quit the brilliant court of France and 
return to her native country. J^ if foreseeing the calamities 
which awaited her at home, she gazed on the receding coast 
of France with tearful eyes, nor could she be persuaded to 
quit the deck of the vessel until night intej-rupted her view. 
It is said that Elizabeth, irritated with Mary for having claim( d 
the crown of England, intended to intercept her return, and 
.hat she only escaped by accident. 



FRANCIS II. 



2^ 



Questions. 

1. Did Henry observe ilie advice given him by bis father? 

2. By whose influence was the autliority of Catherine de Medicif 

controlled ? 

3. What was the state of Euiope at this time? 

4 Wha, great revolution was effected in Germany? 

5. How was the war terminated ? 

6. How did Charles succeed in his war with France ? 

7. What induced him to resign bis crown? 

8. Where did the war next break out? 

9. How did the duke of Guise conduct affairs in Italy? 

10. Describe the causes and results of the battle of St. Quentio 

11. Did the Spaniards improve their victory? 

12. How did the French nation behave on this occasion? 

13. What important conquest was made by the duke of Guise f 

14. On what conditions was peace made? 

15. By what accident was Henry killed? 

16. How were the Protestants treated during this reign , 

17. By what dissensions was the reign of Francis II. disturbed? 

18. How did religion increase the evil ? 

19. By whose treachery v/as the enterprise of the ProtestanU 

disconcerted ? 

20. How were they treated ? 

21. What remarkable persons advocated the cause of toleration' 

22. How v/as the prince of Conde rescued from death ? 

23. What were the consequences of the death of Francis ? 




The Tilting between Henrj- II. and it* Count of Montgomery 



240 



HISTORY OF FRANCE, 




Charles IX. 



CHAPTER XXVh. 



CHARLES IX. 



Oh shame to religion! when God's holy word 

Is proclaimed by the trrimp and confirmed by the swerd. 

CuKjfiHaaiAK 

I. The hopes entertained by the French people mat 
UJ\n ^^^ '^'•^ king, on attaining the years of discretion, 
■ would have put an end to the factions by which the 
country was distracted, were frustrated by his premature 
death ; and France was now in a worse condition than it had 
been at the decease of Henry II. The houses of Lorraine 
and Bourbon were at the heads of the Cathohc and Protestant 
parties : they were bitterly exasperated against each other, 
nut merely on account of religious differences, but also in con- 
sequence of the late attempts against the life of the prince of 
Conde. Catharine de Medicis. intent on usurping the powei 



CHARLES IX. 241 

of the stale, intrigued with, and betrayed both parties, dealing 
out ireactiery with the most perfect impartiality. The duke 
of Guise, not having the same claim on power that he pos- 
sessed during the former reign, entered into alliance with the 
constable Montmorenci and the marshal St. Andre, an union 
which was very aptly designated the triumvirate. 2. The 
prince of Conde and the admiral Coligny were the leaders of 
the Protestant party, but were weakened by the defection of 
the king of Navarre, who, with his characteristic weakness, 
joined the party of his most bitter enemies. Catharine saw 
that under these circumstances the duke of Guise would be 
her most formidable opponent, and as a counterpoise she pro- 
cured a formal acquittal of the prince of Conde from the states, 
and published an edict in favour of toleration. The zealous 
catholics of the kingdom look the alarm ; they believed that 
their church was in danger, and every where prepared to de- 
fend their faith by force of arms. The protestants on the other 
side, confiding in the' protection of the court, re-opened their 
churches, and publicly celebrated t'he reformed worship. 

3, When the minds of two parties are thus inflamed, 
a small spark will suffice to produce a conflagration, |k/>o 
The duke of Guise, while coming to Paris, happened 
to pass on the road a congregation of Hugonots worshipping 
their God in a barn. Some of his servants insulted the pro- 
testant assembly, a scuffle took place in which many were 
wounded on both sides, and some of the protestants killed. 
This event, which both parties misrepresented, was the signal 
of civil war. 4. The duke of Guise and his friends took pos- 
session of the person of the king and brought him by force to 
Paris, where the citizens were all in their interpst. Catherine, 
who had fallen into the usual error of all in'.riguing persons, 
that of using too much dissimulation, was obliged to follow in 
her son's train. The prince of Conde proceeded to Orleans 
and put himself at the head of the protestants, a party inferior 
in number, but possessing that species of sullen enthusiasm 
which cannot be subdued by defeat, or cooled by misfortune. 
5. The first important enterprise was the siege of Rouen, the 
Drincipal support of the protestant cause in Normandy; after 
a gallant defence it was taken by assault, and for eight days 
given up to be plundered at the mercy of a bigoted and savage 
soldiery. Its governor, the count de Montgomery, whonr. 
Catharine hated for having accidentally killed her husoand, 
made his escape with some difficulty to Havre. 6. In the 
assault, the king of Navarre received a wound which his de- 
21 ^ Q 



242 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

bauchery rendered fatal; and died as he had lived, "halting 
between two opinions," for he received the sacrament from a 
catholic minister, and immediately afterwards declared that if 
he recovered he would become a champion of protestantism. 
His dying recommendation to his wife and son Avas, to keep 
away from the court, and to be always on their guard against 
the treachery of Catharine and the Guises. 

7. The Hugonots soon after experienced a second calamity; 
they waited for their enemies at St. Dreux, in Normandy, 
and m the early part of the engagement, slew St. Andre, took 
Montmorenci prisoner, and put an entire wing of the enemy 
to flight; but the fortune of the day soon changed, the pro- 
estants were every where repulsed, the prince of Conde taken 
{jrisoner, and their entire army only saved from destruction by 
the able manner in which the admiral Coligny covered the 
retreat. 8. Inspired by this victory the duke of Guise laid 
siege to Orleans, which was on the point of being captured, 
when the duke received a wound in the shoulder from a pistol 
fired by a person named Poltrot, who had been lying in wait 
for him. The assassin was arrested, and being put on the 
rack, declared that he had been instigated to make the attempt 
by Coligny. But little credit is due to an accusation obtained 
by torture, and it is worthy of notice that when Coligny de- 
manded a truce, in order that he might be confronted with 
Pollrot, he met with a peremptory refusal. 9. The duke only 
survived six days : before his death he exhorted Catherine to 
lay aside her schemes of persecution, and make peace with 
the Hugonots. He left behind him three sons, of whom the 
eldest became duke of Guise; the second cardinal of Guise, 
and the third duke of Mayence ; his only daughter was mar- 
ried to the duke de Montpensier. He appears to have been a 
nobleman possessed of many good qualities, which ambition 
and bigotry perverted to his own destruction and that of his 
country. 

10. During this period, Catharine was diligently employed 
in strengthening her authority, and, by alternately holding out 
hopes to the two great parties which divided the kingdom, 
she rendered both subservient to the purposes of her ambition ; 
under pretence of an interview with her daughter the queen 
of Spain, she held a conference at Bayonne with the duke of 
Alva, the most cruel persecutor of the reformed religion, and 
at the same time pretended to the protestant princes that she 
was arxious to secure the free toleration of their faith, Tba 
subsequent cruelties of Alva, when he assumed the govern- 



CHARLES IX. 243 

ijient of Flanders, greally alarmed the protestants ; the prince 
of Conde and the admiral Coligny, believing that their lives 
were in danger, formed a plan for surprising the court at 
Meaux, and would have succeeded, had not their march been 
jnaccountably delayed until Catharine and her son had time 
lo escape. 

11. A second civil war began; the prince of Conde, far 
from being disconcerted by his failure at Meaux, surprised 
the town of St. Denys and set fire to twenty-four windmills 
in sight of the walls of Paris. Though his forces scarcely ex- 
ceeded three thousand men, he held the city blockaded for six 
weeks, and then fearlessly gave battle to the constable Mont- 
morenci, who was marching to its relief with about twenty 
thousand soldiers. The battle lasted three hours; it ended in 
the defeat of the Hugonots, but their adversaries had not much 
reason to boast of their victory, having lost their leader Mont- 
morenci and a great number of their bravest troops. The 
defeat of the insurgents was not so pleasing to Catharine as 
the death of the constable ; she had now seen every person 
removed who could dispute her authority, and she was ena- 
bled to gratify the ambition of her favourite son Henry by 
having him appointed to the command of all the royal forces, 
with the title of the king's lieutenant-general. But Henry of 
Anjou was not able to compete with Conde ; the protestants, 
though abandoned by their allies, made so vigorous a resist- 
ance, that the court consented to grant them peace on favour- 
able conditions. 

12. An iniquitous attempt to seize the admiral and Conde 
led to the third civil war; they narrowly escaped from their 
pursuers, and fled to Rochelle, whither they were followed by 
the whole force of the protestants, in spite of the resistance of 
the royal troops. The queen of Navarre, accompanied by 
her son the prince of Beam, afterwards Henry IV. of France, 
joined the revolters, and they were further strengthened by 
queen Elizabeth of England, who sent Conde a sum of money 
and a considerable supply of ammunition and artillery. The 
duke of Anjou on the other side took the field with a power- 
ful force, commanded by the best generals of the age. An 
engagement soon took place at .Tarnae, in which the protest- 
ants were routed, and their leader, Conde, after surrendering 
himself a prisoner, was murdered in coid blood. The admiral 
made an excellent retreat, Jane of Navarre encouraged the 

Erotestants not to despair, and induced them to choose as theii 
;aders her son the prince of Beam, and Henry, the son (rf 



244 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

their late general Conde. Though again defeated at Moncar- 
tour, the protestants maintained so bold an aspect, that the 
court again had recourse to negocialion, and granted all the 
Jlemands of the Hugonot leaders. 

13. The events which followed have been so fiercely con- 
troverted, and so foully misrepresented by rival parlies, that it 
is not easy to determine the truth from the contradictory state- 
ments. In the following account, the authorities from which 
the narrative is deduced, are the contemporary memoirs of 
persons who were actors in the scenes, and strict attention has 
been paid to the distinction between the facts which they saw, 
and the conjectures which they formed. Charles, who was 
now about twenty years of age, was, or affected to be, weary 
of the state of pupilage in which he was kept by his mother, 
and jealous of the preference which she showed for her fa- 
vourite son, Henry of Anjou. He averred that the merit of 
the peace was his own, and that he had made it, in spite of the 
queen-mother, the Spaniards, and the Guises. His directions 
respecting the execution of the treaty were more favourable to 
the protestants than the articles themselves; and, finally, he 
intimated his design of giving his sister in marriage to the 
prince of Beam, threatening the duke of Guise with death 
for daring to aspire to the hand of that princess. 

14. The difficulty is to determine whether Charles was sin- 
cere in this line of conduct, or whether he was induced by hi« 
mother to adopt a course of dissimulation unparalleled in the 
annals of human wickedness. The memoirs of his brother 
and sister attest his sincerity, which is rendered still more pro- 
bable by the weakness of his character and the violence of 
his passions ; qualities quite inconsistent with the astonishing 
power of hypocrisy ascribed to him by the contrary supposi 
tion. He was informed that the admiral was sending some 
assistance to the oppressed protestants, and Charles not only 
declared his approbation of the proceeding, but promised to 
aid the enterprise, and actually commenced preparations for 
the purpose. He finally invited the admiral to court, and 
treated him with the greatest confidence and kindness. 

15. Henry of Anjou, afterwards Henry HI. of France, de- 
clares that he and his mother were greatly alarmed by the 
king's avowed determination to make the admiral Coligny his 
principal adviser. Nor were these alarms groiindless; a pro- 
ject had been formed by some influential persons for changinsr 
the succession to the crown, and recognising Francis, duke of 
AlenQon, as heir to Charles, instead of Henry, duke of xlnjoii. 



CHARLES IX. 245 

(tnd several of the protestant leaders openly favoured the pro- 
ject. It would be impossible indeed to describe the various 
intrigues which agitated the courts both of France and Na- 
varre when they met in Blois to arrange the terms of union 
between the princess Margaret and Henry of Navarre. 

16. Early in the negociations Jane, queen of Navarre, died ; 
many suspected that she was poisoned by the agency of Ca- 
tharine de Medicis, who dreaded a rival possessing so much 
talent, discretion, and influence, but the examination of the 
body refuted this suspicion, and the protestants showed that 
they did not believe the charge by continuing to frequent the 
court and urge forward the preparations for the mar- 
riage. On the 17th of August, Henry of Navarre, ij-'-y^ 
che founder of the Bourbon dynasty, was affianced to 
ihe princess Margaret, but she was so disinclined to the match 
.'.hat she refused to sign the contract ; and when the marriage 
•/Cremony was performed she would not speak, but the king 
her brother forced her to nod her head, which was taken as a 
sign of consent. The marriage took place on a Monday, 
which, with the three following days, was spent in revelry and 
rejoicing. 17. On Friday the 22d of August, as the admiral 
was walking from the court to his lodgings, he received a shot 
from a window in the street, which wounded him severely in 
the left arm. He immediately said, "Behold the fruits of my 
reconciliation with the duke of Guise." In the evening the 
king visited Coligni and said, "Though it is you who are 
wounded; it is I who suffer!" At the same time Charles 
vowed that he would take vengeance on the assassins. 

18. The admiral suspected that his murder had been 
planned by the duke of Guise, bui there is abundant evidence 
to prove tlaat the crime was planned by Henry of Anjou and 
the queen-mother, who were both afraid of the political in- 
fluence which the admiral had acquired, and alarmed, lest he 
should persuade the king to alter the succession in favour of 
the duke of Aleneon. Their failure in the murder increased 
their peril; the protestants had gained evidence implicating 
the duke of Anjou, and they imprudently vented their rage 
against him and his mother, vaunting that the king was of 
their party. 19. Catherine de Medicis, under these circum 
stances, held a cabinet council, which was attended by the 
following persons: Henry, duke of Anjou, afterwards king of 
I-'oland and France ; Gonzagua, duke of Nevers ; Henry of 
Angouleme, grand prior of France, and natural brother to the 
king; the marshal de Tavannes, and the count de Retz. 20. 
21* 



246 HISTORY OF FRANCE, 

After a brief debate it was resolved ' massacre- all the chiefs 
of the protestant party, and it was ith some difficulty iha' 
the more merciful cr more pruden' of the party obtained an 
exception in favour of the king of Navarre and the prince of 
Conde. It was further resolved, that the execution of this 
atrocious plot should be entrusted to the duke of Guise; that 
the guards should be placed under arms, that the city militia 
should be assembled by its officers, and that the work of de- 
struction should commence when a signal was given by ring- 
ing a bell at the Louvre. 

21. These resohitions were adopted late on Saturday, and 
were communicated to the young king by his mother. The 
unfortunate Charles shrunk with horror from the atrocity pro- 
posed to him, but the persuasions of his mother, the dread of 
a new civil war, and the hopes of reigning without control 
prevailed ; he passed from one extreme to the other, and ex- 
claimed, "If any are to die, let there not be one left to re- 
proach me with breach of faith." But his mother and bro- 
ther were still so much afraid of his hesitating or altering his 
mind, that they gave the signal before midnight, the hour 
originally appointed. 

22. Scarcely had the bell sounded when the duke of Guise, 
accompanied by some nobles of his party, and a detachment 
of Swiss guards, attacked the house of the admiral Colign;, 
and soon forced an entrance. Awakened by the noise, the 
admiral sprung from his bed, and perceiving that his life was 
principally sought, commanded his attendants to make their 
escape while he faced the assassins. These soon rushed into 
his room ; the aged hero fell under a multitude of wounds ; 
and his body, after having been treated with savage indignity 
by the duke of Guise, was suspended from a gibbet. Coligni's 
attendants were slaughtered as they attempted to escape over 
the tops of the houses, and amongst the victims was the gal- 
lant Tehgny, son-in-law of the murdered admiral. 23. In 
♦.he Louvre itself the gentlemen in waiting on the king of 
Navarre and the prince of Conde, were butchered in the 
king's presence ; two of them, wounded and bleeding, sough) 
shelter in the bed-chamber of the young queen of Navarre, 
and were pursued thither by the assassins. 24. The princess 
herself had been kept in ignorance of the plot, and was in 
some danger of faUing by the random blows of the pursuers; 
she hurried to her mother's chamber, followed by other shriek- 
mg vicxims, be&eeching her pity and claiming her protection. 
But she was helpless, and in momentary dread that the lives 



CHARLES IX. 24* 

of herself and her husband would be sacrificed with the 
rest. 

25. We must now direct our attention to the other incidents 
of this fearful night. The infuriate populace filled every part 
of the city with corpses ; old and young, male and female, 
rich and poor, all who were Hugonots, or suspected of favour- 
ing their principles, were mercilessly slaughtered. The aged, 
borne down by the decrepitude of years, were extended on the 
same pile with the infant that had scarcely seen the light; 
whole families lay exposed together on the same bloody couch ; 
and the monsters who conducted this butchery, added insults 
to the dead and dying which will not bear to be recorded. 26.. 
From the palace windows, Catharine beheld with a fiendish 
joy the progress of the murderers. Her son having recovered 
from his indecision, had now gone into the opposite extreme, 
and resolved himself to bear a share in the massacres ; he 
posted himself with a musket at one of the windows facing 
the Seine, and fired on those who endeavoured to escape by 
swimming across the river. 27. The protestants in the suburbs 
hearing the shouts in the city, supposed that their brethren had 
been attacked by the faction of the duke of Guise, and resolved 
to go and solicit the protection of the king, whom they still 
believed their friend. Fortunately, they could not obtain im- 
mediate admission at the gates; during the delay, a wounded 
fugitive acquainted them with the real state of affairs, and they 
had time to make their escape before the arrival of the soldiers 
sent for their destruction. 

28. The massacre continued eight days with scarce any in- 
termission. Many Catholics were destroyed in the indiscri- 
minate slaughter. " It was heresy to possess wealth, to hold 
an envied office, to have a personal enemy, or an avaricious 
heir." At length, when more than five thousand had been 
slain, the murderers ceased their labours from actual weari- 
ness. 29. The young king of Navarre and the prince of 
Conde were spared, but were compelled to conform to the Ca 
tholic religion. The king had the honour of procuring their 
conversion ; his arguments were, it must be confessed, rathei 
difiicult to be resisted, since they consisted only of three em 
phatic words, "i/te mass, the bastille, or death.'''' 

30. Orders were sent to commence a sjmilar massacre m 
the provinces. Some governors obeyed, but others immortal- 
ized their names by a spirited refusjil. The viscount d'Orthe. 
governor of Bayonne, wrote to the court that " the king Mq 
many brave ioidiers in that garrison, but not a single execir 



248 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

^^oner." The bishop of Lisieux acted in a manner wurlny of 
his dignity and Christian character. When the commandant 
had exhibited to him the orders of the court, "You shall not 
execute them," he replied ; " those whom you wish to mur- 
der are the sheep entrusted to my charge ; they have strayed, 
mdeed, but I am daily endeavouring to bring them back to the 
fold. The gospel does not command the shepherd to massacre 
his charge ; I read there, on the contrary, that he should lay 
down his life for theirs." 

31. It had been originally the intention of Catharine and 
Charles to throw the entire blame of this atrocious proceeding 
on the duke of Guise ; but when Guise and his party refused 
to accept such a tremendous responsibility, they changed their 
mind, and glorying in their wickedness, ordered a medal to be 
struck in commemoration of the event, with the motto, Pietas 
armavit justitimn, " Piety has armed justice." 32. At Rome 
and in Spain, thanksgivings were offered up for this triumph 
of the faith, and Pope Gregory XIII. ordered it to be cele- 
brated by a jubilee ! In every other part of Europe it was 
regarded with just detestation, and the, massacre of St. Bar- 
tholomew, as it was named from the day of its perpetration, 
made the name of France odious in every land where the in 
quisilion was not established. 33. In concluding this painful 
narrative, it may be remarked that every one of the actors in 
the horrid tragedy seem to have been overtaken by divine 
vengeance. The duke of Guise was assassinated by the com- 
mand of his partner in guih, the duke of Anjou, afterwards 
Henry III. Henry met the same fate on the very spot where 
he had first joined in the conspiracy, the cardinal of Lorraine 
died raving mad, Catharine de Medicis met a worse fate, she 
lived on to an unhonoured old age, imprisoned by her favourite 
son, deserted by all her former friends, tormented by the pangs 
of disappointed ambition, and still more by the consciousness 
that she was the object of universal scorn. 

34. Notwithstanding the share that Charles had in the mas- 
sacre, his subsequent remorse entitles him to our pity, and ren 
ders it probable that he was the involuntary agent of his mo- 
ther through the entire transaction. Immediately after it, he 
had boasted that " he should now enjoy peace," but peace was 
ever after a stranger to his bosom. The visions of a troubled 
conscience haunted his pillow, a terrible disease that caused 
blood to issue from every pore of his body, rendered his life 
miserable, and he had every day more reason to believe that 
"nis mfaraous mother was inchned to hasten his death in ordei' 



CHARLES IX. 249 

10. procure the crown for her favourite son the duke ot Anjou. 
35. To these calamities was added a civil war, which burst 
forth with new violence. The Hugonots, indignant at the 
massacre of St. Bartholomew, took up arms with a firm reso- 
lution never to lay them down until they were secured in the 
free profession of their religion : they made Rochelle the capi- 
tal of their league, and chose as their leaders the king of Na- 
varre and the prince of Conde, who had escaped from the 
Louvre, and again embraced that religion which they had 
only resigned through terror. The duke of Anjou was ap- 
pointed by Catharine to conduct the royal army, much against 
the will of Charles, who viewed his brother with just suspi- 
cion. 36. The king's forces being far superior to the Protest- 
ants in number, were enabled to undertake the siege of Ro- 
chelle. The inhabitants of the town made a gallant resistance, 
they valiantly repelled the assaults of the besiegers, and en- 
dured with patience the severest extremities of famine. 37 
Henry of Anjou was at length wearied of the protracted siege, 
and besides, received an account of his election to the 
crown of Poland. Under these circumstances, he con- i-W 
eluded a treaty with the Protestants on the most favour- 
able conditions, and returned to Paris. 38. He did not, how- 
ever, on his arrival display any great alacrity to visit his new 
kingdom. Love or ambition made him linger at court, until 
Charles, becoming hourly more jealous of his designs, threat- 
ened to proceed to violence. Catharine then interfered ; she 
desired her son to depart for Poland, adc^ing that his delay 
there would not be long, and Henry at length set out, to the 
great gratification of the king. 

89. Catharine was now the real sovereign of France, but 
the use she made of her power provoked the hostility of all 
parties. Charles was eager to shake off her authority, but his 
mind and body were so enfeebled by disease, that he was un- 
equal to the exertion. The Hugonots looked on her as an in- 
carnate fiend, and the Catholics suspected her sincerity. To 
add to the distraction of the kingdom, a third faction now 
sprung up, who called themselves ihe politicians. They pro- 
fessed themselves indifferent to the religious disputes, but de- 
clared that their object was to reform the state, humble the 
Guises, exclude the queen from the administration, and banish 
all Italians from the kingdom. The Montmorencis were the 
first who formed this design, in which they were joined by 
the duke of Alengon the king's brother, and by all the leaders 
of the Protestant party. 40, A new war was just commeiic 



250 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ing, when Charles concluded his miserable career m 
, pT^ .' the twenty-fourth year of his age and the fourteenth 
' ■ of his reign. His last act was to appoint his mother 
regent until the return of his brother from Poland. Catharine 
is said to have obtained this appointment from him with great 
difficulty, and to have been bitterly reproached by him foi ah 
the crimes that he had committed by her instigation. 

41. Nature had gifted Charles with a fine form, talents 
above mediocrity, and a good disposition ; but his mother, 
intent only on acquiring power, had designedly corrupted his 
education, and early instructed him in every species of vice. 
He was so accustomed to the absurd vice of swearing, that 
oaths formed the ordinary staple of his conversation. His 
temper was violent and unregulated, his manners coarse and 
boorish, his amusements disgraceful and infamous. To coin 
false money, to play such practical jokes as the most riotous 
school-boy would be ashamed to own, were the favourite pas- 
times of this sovereign. But as he grew up, he discovered 
his errors when too late ; just as he was about to atone for 
them by commencing a new mode of life, death arrested hira 
in the midst of his imperfect resolutions. His lasthours were 
disturbed by remorse for the massacre of St. Bartholomew ; 
with his latest breath he declared how agonizing was the re- 
membrance of the event, and asserted that he had been forced 
to sanction it by his mother. 



Questions. 

1. Who were the leaders of the parties by which France was 

distracted? 

2. What was the origin of the league ? 

3. How did the civil war originate ? 

4. In what manner was it commenced? 

5. How was the city of Rouen treated ? 

6. What remarkable person was slain in the assault? 

7. Did the Hugonots suffer any other defeat? 

8. What remarkable circumstances attended the assassinaiioiv 

of the duke of Guise ? 

9. In what manner did he die? 

10. How were the years of peace spent? 

11 What caused the second civil war? 

12 Did the new peace continue? 

13 For what was the battle of Jarnac remarkable ? 

14. Did Charles change his policy towards the protestcmttf 

15. Why were Catharine and Henry alarmed ? 



CHAKLES IX. 



25^ 



j6 DM any circumstances create suspicion among the protestants 

17. When was Coligni shot? 

18. By whom was the murder of Coh'gni contrived? 

19. Who attended the secret council held by Catharine ? 

20. What was the resolution of the council? 

21. How was the king induced to consent? 

22. On whom was the first attack made ? 

23. Did Coligni's attendants escape? 

24. Were any persons murdered in the palace? 

25. Were there many other victims? 

26. Did the Ifiiig recover from his indecision? 

27. How were the protestants in the suburbs saved? 

28. How long did the massacre continue ? • 

29. Were any of the protestant leaders spared ? 

30. Did any persons of distinction refuse to join in the massacres! 

31. How was this atrocity commemorated? 

32. In what manner was the account received in other countrieg 1 

33. Did the perpetrators of the massacre escape punishment f 

34. What calamities did Charles endure ? 

a5. Were the Hugonots totally destroyed by the massacre? 

36. To what town did the king's brother lay siege? 

37. How was Rochelle saved? 

38. Why was the king jealous of his brother? 

39. What new party appeared in France ? 

40. How was a civil war prevented ? 

«1 What was the character of Charles ? 




The Dukes of Guise 



«52 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Henry III. and his Qu«en. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



HENRY III. 



The baffled prince in honour's flattering bloom 
Of hasty greatness finds the fatal doom ; 
His foes' derision and his subjects' blame; 
And steals to death from anguish and from shame. 

JoHirsow. 

1. The death of Charles without heirs gave tha 
■i^j4 throne of France to Henry III., the favourite son of 
Catharine ; he had joined in all her plots and persecu- 
tions, had been the commander of forres against the Hugo- 
nots in the field of battle, and their virulent persecutor in the 
time of peace. But in his progress to Poland, the coolness 
with which he was treated by the princes of Germany, had 
served to show him the horror with which the massacre of St. 
Bartholomew was viewed by all but the slaves of Rome, and 
he never after amidst his many crimes and foilies showed him 
self a persecutor. 2. On learning the news of his brother's 



HENRY HI. 253 

Jeath fearing to be detained by the Polish nobles, he abandonei 
his kingdom secretly; some of the nobility followed him be- 
yond the boundaries, and to them he gave an indefinite promise 
of returning at some future period, which he had no intentioa 
to perform. The Poles eventually elected another king, and 
Henry and his former subjects seem speedily to have forgotten 
the existence of each other, 

3. In his earlier years, Henry had shown some traits of a 
manly and energetic spirit, but all traces of it seemed to have 
disappeared at his accession. He showed from the very 
beginning a dishke of serious occupations, a devotion to trifles 
and debauchery, and a total abandonrnent of all the cares of 
government to his mother and his favourites. 4. Catherine 
encouraged these dispositions, which allowed her to gratify 
her insatiable thirst of dominion. The two great parties by 
which the kingdom was divided, had now acquired so much 
strength and consistency, that impartiality was scarcely possi- 
ble ; the royal council was similarly divided ; the president, 
de Thou, treading in the steps of the chancellor de I'Hopital, 
recommended that peace should be established on the basis of 
an amnesty for the past, and a toleration of the protestants for 
the future ; the partisans of the duke of Guise would be con- 
tented with nothing short of a total extirpation of heresy. 
The queen, as usual, endeavoured to make both parties sub- 
servient to her purposes ; but her arts had been too often 
practised to be any longer available, and both parties prepared 
to recommence the war, if indeed they can be said ever to 
have laid it aside. 

5. The duke of Alenqon, who afterwards obtained the title 
of duke of Anjou, and the king of Navarre, had been restored 
to liberty by Henry immediately after his arrival in France ; 
but finding themselves exposed to suspicion, and deprived of 
all interest in the state, they quitted the court to place them- 
selves at the head of the politicians and the protestants. 6. 
The war was distinguished by no great exploit on either side, 
and was terminated by a peace, in which more favour- 
able conditions were granted to the Hugonots than they ic-vfi 
had hitherto obtained. The violent catholics, headed 
by the duke of Guise, loudly protested against this treaty, 

which they deemed subversive of the established religion, and 
entered into an alliance called the Holy League, in defence of 

A'hat they called true Catholicity. The declared objects of 

his union were to defend the church, the king, and the state; 

ts effects were the dishonouring of religion, the murde'- T»f tha 
22 



254 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

King, and almost the utter ruin of the nation. As soon as the 
Hugonots had learned the news of this powerful combination 
for their destruction, they prepared to defend themselves, and 
Btood to their arms in every part of the provinces. 7. Henry 
III., after some vain attempts to remain neutral, embraced the 
party of the league, and recalled the edicts of toleration w^hich 
he had lately issued ; but there is some reason to doubt hia 
eincenty in this transaction ; in fact, he seems to have placed 
himself at the head of the league, merely to exclude the duke 
of Guise from being appointed its leader. 

8. For five years the history of France presents nothing to 
our view but a series of petty combats, enterprises badly 
planned and worse executed, treaties hastily made, and as 
hastily broken ; treachery, disunion, and discontent in every 
part of the kingdom. The protestants were broken into as 
many parties as there were leaders; the king of Navarre, 
who was nominally their head, suffered full as much from the 
jealousy of his followers, as from the malice of his enemies ; 
on the other hand, the king mortally detested the duke of 
Guise, whose popularity with the clergy and people made 
him a rival rather than a subject, and the duke despised the 
king, to whose incapacity he attributed the continued existence 
of heresy. 9,: An unexpected event produced a new change 
of parlies, by compelling the queen-mother and the duke of 
Guise to remove the veil which had hitherto concealed the 
objects of their ambition. The duke of Anjou having 
j-'k^o deserted the king of Navarre, became apparently re- 
conciled to his brother, and even led an army against 
those Hugonots of whom he had been once the leader. 10. 
But not being able to continue at the court of his brother, 
where he found himself equally detested and despised, he 
secretly fled into Flanders, and placed himself at the head of 
the provinces which had revolted from the crown of Spain. 
The states of Holland chose him for their prince, partly in- 
fluenced by a belief that he was likely to become the husband 
of queen Elizabeth, and that they would thus obtain the 
assistance both of England and France. But Elizabeth had 
no intention of marrying any body, she coquetted with the 
duke of Anjou as she had done with many others, and broke 
off the negociation when it seemed on the point of being com- 
pleted. 11. The report was, however, serviceable to the 
duke, as it facilitated his reception by the Flemings, and gave 
bim some authority with his new subjects. But the prince 
soon lost these advantages ; he displayed incapacity in the fieW 



HENRY III. 2hb 

ind treacnery in the cabinet, until at length bejng detected in 
in attempt to make himself king, he was compelled to fly 
■nto France, where he died overwhelmed with shame and 
"taxation. 

12. The death of the duke of Aniou, and the im- 

AD 

probability of Henry's ever having any children, soon ir'eV 
made the members of the league develop their real 
designs. Henry of Navarre, according to the fundamental 
laws of the kingdom, was the next heir to the crown ; but as 
he was only related to the king in the fourteenth degree, and 
was besides a protestant, Catharine and the duke of Guise 
severally laboured to prevent his succession. Catharine re- 
solved, in defiance of the Salic law, to procure the crown for 
the descendants of her favourite daughter, the duchess of Lor- 
raine ; the duke of Guise, with duplicity equal to her own, 
pretended to join in her design, but strenuously laboured to 
procure the rich inheritance for himself. 13. The clergy 
were the foremost in exciting a new vi'ar ; every pulpit re- 
sounded with declamations on the dangers of the church if the 
throne were possessed by a protestant, every confession-box 
became the means of secretly whispering treason into the ears 
of the populace, and the press, which was almost totally in 
the hands of the ecclesiastics, produced daily the most inflam- 
matory appeals to the prejudices and bigotry of the nation. 
In these invectives the king was not spared ; his severe edicts 
for raising new taxes, his lavish profusion to unworihy 
favourites, his disgraceful debaucheries, and the hypocritical 
grimace which he substituted for devotion, furnished ample 
scope for satire ; and it was said in addition, that he had 
formed a secret alliance with the king of Navarre for the pro- 
tection of the Hugonots. 14. The duke of Guise was the 
main-spring of all these complicated movements ; as he could 
not openly claim the crown for himself, he persuaded the old 
cardinal of Bourbon, uncle to the king of Navarre, that he 
was the right heir to the crown in consequence of his ne- 
phew's heresy. The cardinal, whom contemporary his- 
torians briefly but emphatically designate an old fool, was 
easily persuaded to assert his chimerical claim, and published 
a manifesto declaring himself chief of the league. Henry, 
however, could not be persuaded to set aside the claims of his 
oousin, the king of Navarre, even though that prince had re- 
fused to come near the court after he had been frequently in- 
vited, and had firmly resisted every attempt made to persuade 
him to change his religion. 



256 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

15. The accession of the king of Spain to the leagui 
■•r'oK, b'^came the signal for renewing the war; the Protest- 
^ ' snts fought no longer for their privileges but for tneii 
existence ; the duke of Guise scarcely concealed his designs 
upon the throne, the king of France was exposed to the at- 
tacks of both factions, and was in equal danger from the sue 
cess of either. This is generally called the war of the thiee 
Henrys, viz. the king of France, the king of Navarre, and 
the duke of Guise. 16. The most extraordinary of all the 
matters connected with this tedious conflict was the conduct 
of the pope; though the league was professedly intended to 
exalt the power of the holy see, Sextus V. looked upon it as a 
rebellious alliance, equally dangerous to the interests of royalty 
and religion. Possessed of as proud and ambitious a spirit as 
any pontiff that had ever held the papal throne, he reverenced in 
others any manifestations of that courage and vigour which 
formed so conspicuous a part of his own character. He ex- 
communicated Henry of Navarre and queen Elizabeth ; the 
former made a spirited appeal to a general council, and had 
his defiance posted on the gates of the Vatican ; Elizabeth 
excommunicated the pope in her turn. When Sextus heard 
of those instances of intrepidity, he declared, that though he- 
retics, these were the only sovereigns in Europe that deserved 
to wear a crown. 

17. But whatever may have been the private sentiments of 
the pope, his bull afforded a pretext to the leaguers, of which 
the duke of Guise was not slow in availing himself. The 
leaders of the sixteen departments into which Paris was di- 
vided, the entire mob of that city, all the clergy, regular and 
secular, were on his side ; and the deposition of Henry III. 
was an object openly avowed by his partisans. The duke's 
brother, the cardinal of Guise, declared publicly that the king 
should be sent into a monastery: his sister, the duchess of 
Montpensier, whom Henry had insulted by some remarks on 
her want of personal beauty, exhibited the scissors which 
were to give him the clerical tonsure. 

18. Henry of Navarre began now to show some proofs of 
those noble qualities, which have since deservedly procurea 
for him the title of Great. The weakness and indecision of 
his father had shaken the confidence of the protestants in the 
house of Bourbon ; but his mother had redeemed the errors 
of her husband ; she was adored by her subjects, with whom 
she loved to reside, far from the intrigues and vices of the 
court. In the remote and wild districts of Bearne, Henry re 



HENRY III. 257 

ceived the education of a hardy mountaineer, and was early 
taught to encounter difficulties and dangers. When brought 
to court, he was not proof against the seductive arts by which 
Catharine de Medicis endeavoured to bring him over to her 
party. Indifferent as to the means by which her ends were 
accomphshed, Catharine laboured with some success to lead 
the young prince into habits of debauchery, in order that she 
might rule his actions by means of the artful mistresses with 
which she had supphed him. But the impending dangers of 
the league woke him from his dream of guilty pleasure; he 
placed himself at the head of the protestant party when its 
fortunes were at the lowest ebb ; often defeated but never con- 
quered, he maintained his ground amidst the violence of ene- 
mies and the insincerity of friends, until he finally triumphed, 
as much by the admiration inspired by his moral character, as 
by the terror of his arms. 

19. Catharine made some ineffectual efforts to pre- 
vent this war by negociation, but being distrusted by ^ p^J 
both parties, she completely failed. The royal army, 
under the duke of Joyeuse, an unworthy favourite of Henry's, 
was totally defeated at Contras by the king of Navarre. On 
the other hand, the duke of Guise cut to pieces an army of 
Germans, who had invaded France to make a diversion in fa- 
vour of the Hugonots. The populace of Paris were so in- 
toxicated with joy at the news of the victory obtained by their 
idol, that Henry, who had appeared for some time to have re- 
signed all care of the state, was roused from his lethargy by 
the imminent peril that threatened his crown and life. 20. 
He sent an express to Guise, forbidding him to approach 
Paris ; but the duke, pretending not to have received , ^ao 
the royal mandate, hastened his approach to the city, 
and was received there with all the honours of a triumph. In 
order to reduce the power of the Sixtem, Henry introduced a 
body of his Swiss guards into Paris, but the citizens, instigated 
by the partisans of Guise, immediately took up arms ; the 
shops were shut, the alarm bells rung, barricades and chains 
w^ere drawn across the streets, and the soldiers driven back 
from post to post, until the king found himself and his attend- 
ants closely penned up in the Louvre. Henry escaped during 
the night, leaving the duke of Guise in full possession of the 
capital, but Catharine remained behind to exert her arts of in- 
trigue in bringing about an accommodation. 21. A treaty was 
concluded, which neither party intended to observe, and in 
consequence ot on? of its stipulations, an assembly of the 
22* R 



258 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

«!tates was ordered to be held at Blois. The debates and voles 
in this assembly sufficiently showed the dangerous designs en- 
tertained by the duke of Guise, and the great resources that 
he possessed for their accomplishment. To proceed against 
him for high treason would have been absurd, when all the 
states of the realm were in his favour; open war would cer- 
tainly terminate in the king's defeat ; nothing then remained 
but the detestable means of assassination, and this Henry de- 
termined to adopt. 22. A letter from pope Sextus greatly 
contributed to confirm his resolution ; his holiness advised tha 
King "to render himself master of his rebellious subjects by 
any means in his power." Having armed nine of his most 
•rusty followers with daggers, Henry sent to invite the duke 
of Guise to a speedy conference on matters of the utmost im- 
portance. The duke hastened to obey, but just as he was 
about to enter the room in which the king was, the assassins 
fell on him altogether, and he was instantly slain. His brother, 
the cardinal, shared the same fate on the following day. Thus 
fell, in the prime of life, two men whom nature had endowed 
with abilities that might have made them the brightest orna- 
ments of France, but which bigotry and ambition had rendered 
useless to themselves and pernicious to the nation. 

23. Henry proceeded from the scene of blood to his mother's 
apartments, and announcing to her the news, said, "Now, 
madam, I am indeed a king ;" she heard the account with the 
utmost indifference, but advised him to take advantage of the 
confusion which the event would cause in the league, and se- 
cure Paris. But Henry, believing all danger removed by the 
death of his greatest enemy, relapsed into his ordinary indo- 
lence. Soon after, Catharine, overwhelmed with sorrow at 
the disappointment of all her schemes, and broken down by 
witnessing the ruin which her profligate ambition had brought 
on her children, felt herself sinking into an unhonoured grave. 
Her last advice to Henry was to establish liberty of conscience, 
and to enter into close alliance with Henry of Navarre. She 
died unlamented and almost forgotten: the dissolution of one 
who had played so prominent a part was regarded everywhere 
as an ordinary incident of trifling importance. 

24. Instead of "finding himself indeed a king," Henry, in 
consequence of his crime, was on the brink of ruin. The 
members of the league openly threw off their allegiance, and 
choosing as their leader the duke de Mayenne, the brother of 
the murdered duke, gave him the pompous title of " lieutenant 
general of the royal state and crown of France," which was 



HENRY III. 



259 




HENRY III. 261 

m fact giving him the authority of a sovereign without 4;he 
name. 25. Most of the provinces and large cities of France 
declared in favour of the league, and Henry saw no hopes of 
preserving his authority unless he obtained the assistance of 
his cousin of Navarre. That prince suspected the king's sin- 
cerity, for oncn, unjustly, and remembered too well the share 
that Henry had taken in the massacre of St. Bartholomew to 
trust him too readily. But their natural necessities compelled 
both to bury their former animosities in oblivion ; the 
two Henrys had an interview at the castle of Plessis jcjaq' 
les Tours, and entered into a close alliance which was 
never afterwards violated. 26. Henry III. was now superior 
to his enemies; he advanced to Paris and laid close siege to 
the city ; the inhabitants were unprepared for his attacks, they 
had but a small stock of provisions and an inadequate garrison ; 
the duke de Mayenne was unable to collect an army for their 
relief; every thing seemed to promise a speedy surrender, 
when an unexpected event produced a new and total revo- 
lution. 

27. A monk, named James Clement, was persuaded by hia 
own fanaticism, aided by the artful suggestions of some of the 
leaguers, that he would perform a meritorious action by killing 
a monarch who was an enemy to the church. For this pur 
pose he resolved to go on to St. Cloud, where the king resided, 
and under the pretence of giving him a letter, stab him in the 
midst of his guards. Never did, an assassin display so much 
intrepidity; on his road he met La Guesle and his brother, 
who were going to join the royal army ; he was by them con- 
veyed to the camp, and spent the night of his arrival in their 
tent. He supped gaily with La Guesle's followers, retorted 
with considerable humour the jokes passed on his monkish 
habit, readily answered every question put to him, and aftei 
leaving the table, spent the night in a profound sleep. On the 
following morning he was introduced to the king, and pre- 
sented his letters ; while Henry was engaged in looking at 
them, Clement stabbed him with a knife which he had con- 
cealed in his sleeve; the king immediately called out that he 
was murdered, and drawing out the knife from the wound, 
struck the assassin in the face ; at the same time the attendants 
despatched him with their swords. The death of Cleme«« 
prevented any discovery of those by whom he had been in- 
stigated to the atrocious deed, but it appears very probable thai 
the family of Lorraine were those who had most share in the 
contrivance, in revenge for the murder of the duke of Guise 



262 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

When Henry found that his wound was mortal, he prepared for 
death with much apparent resignation. He took an affectionate 
farewell of the king of Navarre, whom he declared his successor, 
after having strenuously exhorted him to conciliate his future 
subjects, by embracing the Catholic religion. Having then 
confessed himself with much apparent devotion, he expired in 
the 38th year of his age and the 16th of his reign. 28. With 
him ended the house of Valois, which had held the throne of 
France for 261 years. During their dynasty, the several in- 
dependent principalities into which Gaul had been so long 
divided, were consolidated into the single compact kingdom 
of France ; but this advantage was more than counterbalanced 
by the establishment of arbitrary principles of government, 
and the continual weakening of the influence previously pos- 
sessed by the assemblies of the states. 



Questions. 

1. "What made Henry sensible of the folly of persecution? 

2. How did he part from the Poles ? 

3. In what way did he behave on his accession ? 

4. What was the state of parties at this time? 

5. Who placed themselves at the head of the malcontents ? 

6. What party was opposed to peace ? 

7. Why did Henry place himself at the head of the league? 

8. How did the several parties conduct themselves during the 

war. 

9. In what manner did the duke of Anjou behave to the pro- 

testants. 

10. What circumstances favoured his enterprise against Flan- 

ders ? 

11. What caused his death ? 

12. W^hat intrigues were formed about the succession to the 

crown ? 

13. By what means did the clergy inflame the nation ? 

14. Whom did the duke of Guise use as a cover for his own am- 

bition ? 

15. Why was the war renewed ? 

16. How did pope Sextus behave? 

17. Were the leaders personally hostile to the king? 

18. What was the character of Henry of Navarre ? 

19. How was the war conducted ? 

20. To what danger -was the king exposed from the partisans 

of the duke of Guise ? 

21. Why could not the king punish the duke by course of law ? 

22. To what means did he resort ? 



HENRY III. 



2m 




l88as3itiaiiuo ot Hoarr Hi 



HENRY III. 



265 



23. What remarkable person died about this time? 

24 Did Henry derive any advantage from the murder of Guise f 

25. With whom did the king of France reconcile himself? 

26. What siege did he undertake ? 

?7. By whom was Henry III. assassinated ? 

♦8. How long did the house of Valois possess the throne of 
France ? 




Valet kiid Footman of Henry IlL 



SE) 



266 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Henry IV., his Queen, and the Dauphin. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



HENRY IV. 

But be thy failings cover'd by thy tomb. 
And guardian laurels o'er thy ashes bloom ! 

Hatlkt. 

1. The death of Henry III. relieved Paris from tL«s 
■*'J^ imminent dangers to which it had been exposed; the 
title of Henry IV. was indeed acknowledged by the 
principal leaders of the besieging army, but his religion pre- 
vented them from warmly espousing his cause ; the greater 
part drew off their forces, and Henry was compelled to raise 
I he siege, which his diminished forces could no longer con- 
tinue. The duke of Mayenne, who might have assumed the 
title of king, chose rather to proclaim the cardinal of bourbon, 
though he remained a prisoner; and having collected a nu- 
merous band of leaguers, he pursued Henry on his retreat to 
Normandy. 2. The royahsts, though inferior in numbers, 
gained two brilliant victories at Arques and Ivri, over the par- 
tizans of the league ; but though these triumphs served to 



HENRY IV. 267 

raise tne character of Henry, they were not sufficient to crush 
a party bound together by their own bigotry, the gold of 
Spain, and the spiritual authority of the pope. 3. His own 
followers gave the king nearly as much trouble as his enemies ; 
the catholic royalists detested tht Hugonots ; the proiestants 
returned the hatred, and were, besides, divided amongst them- 
selves ; the princes of the blood were either too young to exert 
any influence, or had ranged themselves under the banners of 
the league, and Henry found himself engaged in this dan- 
gerous war almost solely dependent on his own personal 
resources. 4. The king of Spain was anxious to obtain the 
crown of France for his daughter, Clara Eugenia; the pro- 
testant princes of Europe, dreading the additional power that 
would thus be added to the Spanish monarchy, already formi- 
dable, resolved to support the cause of Henry, the queen Eli- 
zabeth, especially, assisted him with money and warlike stores. 

5. These aids, and the confidence inspired by seve- 
ral successive triumphs, soon enabled Henry to under- ij-'^jr,' 
take the siege of Paris, where the hatred of the 
leaguers displayed itself with more violence, in proportion as 
the king showed himself more worthy of affection. Though 
their shadow of a king, the cardinal de Bourbon, had lately 
died, and they had not selected any other in his place, so far 
were they from thinking of submitting to their rightful sove- 
reign, that the doctors of the Sorbonne declared that Henry, 
being a relapsed heretic, could not receive the crown even 
though he should obtain absolution, and this shameful decree 
was confirmed by the parliament. 6. In the meantime, Paris 
being closely blockaded and ill supplied with provisions, was 
attacked by all the horrors of a severe famine. Bread was 
made of bones ground into powder, food the most revolting 
was eagerly sought after, multitudes dropped daily dead in the 
street from extreme starvation, but no one spoke of yielding-. 
The clergy had promised a crown of martyrdom to all who 
died in the cause of the church, and their deluded followers 
submitted to every privation without a murmur. Still, had 
Hanry not been moved with a paternal pity for his frantic sub- 
jects, he might have taken Paris by assault; but when urged 
to give orders for the purpose, he replied — "1 had rather lose 
Paris, than get possession of it when ruined by the death of 
so many persons." He gave the fugitives from the city a safe 
passage through his camp, and permitted his officers and sol- 
diers to send in refreshments to their friends. By this lenity 
he indeed lost the fruit of his labours for the present, but he 



268 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

gained the approbation of his own conscience and the adn)ira 
tion of posterity 7. The prince of Parma, who commanded 
the Spanish army in Flanders, advanced to the relief of Paris 
when the citizens were at the very point of despair ; by a series 
of masterly movements, he disconcerted the efforts made by 
Henry to bring on an engagement, relieved the garrison, and 
returned to continue his wars with the Dutch : after having 
performed this essential service to the league with scarcely the 
oss of a man. 8. The following year, Henry met a similar 
disappointment at the siege of Rouen, where the escape of the 
prince of Parma was effected under such difficult circum- 
stances, that Henry could scarcely believe the evidence of his 
senses when he found that the hostile troops were beyond his 
reach. 9. Death soon after delivered the king from this for- 
midable rival ; the prince died in Flanders at the age of forty- 
seven ; his military talents and great virtues would have 
brought the United Provinces again under the yoke of Spain, 
had it been possible to find a remedy for despotism and per- 
secution. 

10. The conduct of the Sixteen at Paris, contributed much 
to weaken the influence of the league ; these hot-headed rebels 
pretended to give the law both to the duke de Mayenne and 
the parliament. When a man whom they wished to destroy 
was acquitted, they suddenly broke out into the most furious 
excesses, and actually hanged three of the magistrates who 
had been judges at the trial, amongst whom was Brisson, the 
first president of the parliament. The dukede Mayenne acted 
on this occasion with a promptitude and decision foreign to his 
character ; he marched to Paris at the head of his most trusty 
followers, delivered the most violent of the murderers to the 
executioner, deprived the Sixteen of the Bastille, which had 
been their principal stronghold, and thus finally crushed a de- 
testable faction, which derived its whole strength from the 
madness of fanaticism. 11. But these favourable events were 
not sufficient to put Henry in possession of the kingdom, while 
he professed a religion odious to the majority of his subjects ; 
his most faithful followers, protestant as well as catholic, re- 
commended him to change his rehgion, and Henry only de- 
layed through fear of offending Elizabeth and the protestant 
princes of Germany. At length, finding that the states-general 
had proceeded so far as to offer the crown to the Spanish in- 
fanta, on condition of her marrying a French prince, Henry saw 

that further delay might bring ruin on his CRUse, and 
._",.,■ publicly abjured protestantism in the church of St 

Denis. 12. Though this conversion was any thing 



HENRY IV. 



269 



mil sincere, it was followed by the most beneficial effects. The 
nobility, in general, hastened to reconcile themselves to a king 
ivhose character they respected, and most of those who still 
held out, only did so in hopes of receiving some reward for 
returning to their allegiance. 13. The duke de Mayenne and 
some few of the more violent leaguers, however, obstinately 
refused to acknowledge the king, until he had received abso- 
lution from the pope ; the bigoted clergy preached with their 
accustomed vehemence against the man of Beam, as they 
still called their sovereign ; but the efforts of some men of 
genius who had joined the royal cause, weakened the force of 
their invectives. 14. Several ingenious writings against the 
follies and absurdities of these ignorant bigots, especially the 
Menippean satire, covered them vi^ith such merited ridicule, 
that they found their declamations unheeded and neglected. 
At length Paris opened its gates to Henry, and found 
in 'aim not a vindictive conqueror, but a paternal sove- ic-q7 
re^gn. 15. While he was employed in giving the 




Henry IV. Entering Paris. 

most remarkable proofs of his beneficence and zeal for the 

fublic good, his life was attempted by a young fanatic, named 
ohn Chatal. When the assassin was interrogated, he pleaded 
in excuse the doctrine of tyrannicide, which he had learned 
among his masters, the Jesuits, and had heard preached by the 



270 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Capuchins. The parliament having witnessed so forcible a 
proof of the dangerous tendency of the doctrines preached by 
these monastic orders, commanded them to be banished from 
the kingdom. 

16. At length the long expected bull of absolution 
,f.'q/ arrived from the pope; and the leaguers having no 
further grounds of resistance, prepared everywhere for 
submission. The duke de Mayenne set the example, and 
during the remainder of his life was one of Henry's most 
faithful and devoted subjects ; the other chiefs followed his 
example, but exacted a high price for the purchase of their 
loyalty, which Henry, notwithstanding the disordered state of ' 
his finances, faithfully paid. 17. Phihp, king of Spain, was 
now Henry's only enemy ; and even he, notwithstanding his 
blind and brutal obstinacy of character, saw that the league 
was irretrievably ruined. He still continued the war, captured 
Calais, and soon after added to his conquests the city of Amiens, 
which his forces surprised. IS. But Henry soon recovered 
the latter, and forced the Spanish army to retreat. The pro- 
testants were naturally displeased with the king for having 
deserted their religion, and were inclined to create dis- 
irqc turbances in the provinces. Henry, therefore, to con- 
ciliate this portion of his subjects, issued the celebrated 
edict of Nantes, by which they were granted a perfect tolera- 
tion of their religion, and full security both in person and pro- 
perty. 19. Soon afterwards the war with Spain was termin- 
ated by the treaty of Vervins, which Henry, by the tacit con- 
sent of his alhes, the Dutch and English, concluded separately 
with Philip. 20. The death of the Spanish king followed ii? 
a short time after the conclusion of this pacification, and witti 
him the power of Spain seems to have terminated. His efforts 
to crush protestantism in Europe, dictated by bigotry rathei 
than by policy, were eminently unsuccessful, and served in the 
end to ruin the country which was cursed with him as a sove- 
reign. England defeated the armada arrogantly named in- 
vincible, and crushed the naval power of Spain ; Holland suc- 
ceeded in throwing off Philip's yoke, and acquiring independ- 
ence ; the league perished in France ; his only successful 
project was the establishment of the inquisition in Spain, which 
long continued to degrade that unhappy country. 

21. The return of peace and tranquillity produced a period 
of comparative happiness in France, to which its inhabitants 
had been long unaccustomed. The protestanis, indeed, thought 
that Henry was not sufficiently grateful to his oldest and mos( 



HENRY IV^. 



271 



faithful friends, but the nation in general were delic^hted with 
ji monarch, whose greatest anxiety was to prove himself the 
father of his subjects, and who, unlike all his predecessors, 
extended his care to the peasantry, who had been hitherto 
treated as an inferior class of beings. 22. But though the dis- 
positions of the king were noble and generous, it is doubtful 
whether they would have proved so beneficial, had they not 
been directed by his faithful friend and able minister, the 
marquis de Rosny, afterwards duke of Sully. Under him the 




Sully. 



finances, which were in a frightful state of disorder, were, by 
a series of judicious measures, made available for the services 
of the kingdom ; commerce, which had been oppressed by a 
load of monopohes and absurd restrictions, was unfettered ; 
industry was every where encouraged, useful public works 
undertaken, and the administration of justice purified from the 
corruptions which had long made it a system of legahzed ini- 
quity. Henry, too sensible to the allurements of pleasure, 
was frequently made the dupe of his mistresses, and the beau- 
tiful Gabrielle d'Estrees had so much power over him, that he 
designed to marry her if he could obtain permission from 
Rome to divorce his wife, Margaret of Valois, with whom he 
had not hved for several years. On the death of Gabrielle, 
Henry took as his second mistress Henrietta d'Entragues, an 
artful woman, who very nearly succeeded in becoming his 
queen. Henry showed his promise ready signed to Sully, 
^'hen the virtuous minister, transported with indignation, iff 



&72 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

stantly tore it to pieces. " I believe you are mad," cried 
Henry in a rage. "It is true, I am mad," replied Sully, 
" and I wish I were the only madman in France." Henry 
was finally divorced from Margaret, and soon after married 
Mary de Medicis ; by her he had a son who afterwards suc- 
ceeded him, but in every other respect the match was unfor* 
tunate. 

23. During the wars of the league, the duke of 

ir(M\ ^^^°y had made several encroachments on the territory 
* of France ; the exertions of Sully had supplied the 
king with the means of punishing these usurpations, and he 
accordingly commenced a vigorous war against that prince. 
It began and ended in one campaign ; the duke was compelled 
to beg a peace, which he could only obtain by the cession of a 
considerable portion of his dominions. 24. But the duke had 
left the seeds of rebellion in the kingdom, and even seduced 
the marechal de Biron, who had been one of Henry's best and 
earliest friends, to obhlerate the remembrance of his former 
services, by joining in a treasonable conspiracy against hia 
country and his king. Henry, who had the most unquestion 
able proofs of his guilt, offered him a pardon if he would can- 
didly confess his crime ; but Biron obstinately refusing to 
make any acknowledgment, he was delivered over to justice. 
It is remarkable that this nobleman, who had always exhibited 
great personal bravery in the field of battle, betrayed the most 
womanish weakness on the scaffold ; so much does heroism 
consist in a consciousness of moral rectitude. 

2.5. The kingdom of France for several years continued to 
enjoy the fruits of an excellent administration, and saw her 
strength revive with her happiness ; but plots were daily con- 
trived against the king, principally fomented by his perfidious 
mistress d'Entragues. So infatuated was Henry, that he con- 
tinued his affection to this perfidious woman even after he had 
received the most unequivocal proofs of her guilt. The duke 
de Bouillon, who had received the greatest marks of kindness, 
endeavoured to excite a new civil war, by working on the dis- 
contents and disappointments of the Hugonots. Henry hav- 
ing in vain tried gentler methods, at length marched against 
the duke, and deprived him of his principality, Sedan, but 
restored it again on his repentant submission. 

26. These disturbances did not, however, produce 

Jti^ any serious effect on the general tranquillity of France ; 
under the prudent administration of Sully, that coun- 
try was fast recovering from the evils that had been inflicted 



HENRY IV. 273 

by the civil wars ; and Henry being left at liberty to direct eis 
attention to foreign affairs, endeavoured to merit the name of 
the Pacifier of Europe, a title more honourable than that of 
the most illustrious conqueror. The republic of Venice had 
provoked the hostility of the 'court of Rome, by sentencing to 
capital punishment an Augustine monk, who had been guilty 
of the most enormous crimes, and prohibiting the alienation 
of lands to the clergy, who had become a burden to the state, 
from their numbers, their extensive possessions, and their ex- 
emption from taxation. Paul V., who was then pope, excum- 
municated the republic, and not trusting entirely to the effi- 
cacy of ecclesiastical censures, levied an army in order to 
compel the Venetians to submission. Henry, perceiving the 
scandal that this war was hkely to bring on religion, 
successfully offered himself ais a mediator, and notwilh- -if^nn 
standing the vehement opposition of the Spanish court, 
effected a reconciliation. The states of Holland, though vir 
tually independent, were not as yet acknowledged as a separate 
state by their former masters, the Spaniards ; the war had now 
lasted forty years, and the Dutch had not only driven their 
oppressors out of the country, but also obtained several im- 
portant settlements in the extremity of Asia. 27. Henry me- 
diated a peace between the new states and their former rulers ; 
a labour of no small difficulty, for the Spanish court, with the 
same obstinate pride by which it is distinguished at the present 
day, preferred a nominal title over their former subjects, to the 
solid advantages of a beneficial peace. 

28. We are told by Sully, that Henry meditated the forma- 
tion of a Christian republic in Europe ; it was proposed to 
divide Europe between fifteen sovereigns, none of whom 
should be permitted to make any new acquisition, but should 
form altogether an association for maintaining a mutual balance 
and preserving peace. This project was one of very ques- 
tionable utility, and at all events could never be realized; his 
second object, to set bounds to the ambition of the house of 
Austria, both in Germany and Italy, was more practicable, and 
more immediately useful. 29. He had already made the ne- 
cessary preparations for this enterprise, when the emperor, 
Rudolph II., furnished him with a pretence for commencing 
the war, by sequestrating the duchies of Cleves, Juliers, and 
Bergue, after the death of the last duke. Henry entered into 
a league with the elector of Brandenbureh and the count Pa- 
latine of Neuburg, who both pretended to the succession. The 
protestants of Germany, always justly suspicious of Austriao 

S 



274 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

.teachery, formed a new alliance, for the protection of tneit 
civil and religious liberties, of which Flenry was privately th« 
contriver, and publicly the chief support. The pope, the re- 
public of Venice, and the confederacy of the Swiss cantons, 
all led by separate interests, were united in the common reso- 
lution of checking the imperial power. 

30. Never was any enterprise better concerted. Henry was 
to march into Germany at the head of forty thousand excel- 
lent soldiers. Sully had provided ample resources for the ex- 
penses of the army ; the allies were all eager to perform their 
several stipulations. On the other side, the emperor was im- 
mersed in the study of astrology, and a vain search after the 
philosopher's stone; his only supporter, the king of Spain 
was the slave of bigotted inquisitors and avaricious favourites 
both were destitute of wisdom, confidence, and resources. 31 
Henry was impatient to join the army, but was detained much 
against his will to gratify the queen with the vain ceremony 
of a coronation, which she insisted on with the most eager vio- 
lence. During the festivities which took place on this occa- 
sion, the mind of Henry was distracted by the most gloomy 
forebodings, and he more than once felt that "coming events 
cast their shadows before," in fearful anticipations of a sudden 
and violent death. 32. His apprehensions were fatally ful- 
filled. Passing along a street, his coach was entangled in a 
crowd, and a desperate fanatic, named Ravaillac, took that op- 
portunity of stabbing him. The assassin mounted on the 
hind wheel of the coach, and plunged a knife into the king's 
bosom, who was so intent on the perusal of a letter, that he did 
not even see his murderer. The courtiers who were in the 
coach drew up the windows, and ordered the driver to return to 
the Louvre, but life was extinct before they reached the palace. 
33. Thus died at the age of fifty-seven a prince worthy of im- 
mortahty, against whom more than fifty conspiracies were 
formed by his contemporaries, but whose memory has been 
hallowed by the admiration of posterity, and whose reign 
might serve as a model to all princes who love their subjects. 
Let us bury in oblivion a few spots which stain his private life, 
weaknesses which are unhappily too common to heroic minds 
and honour him for the clemency which he showed to his in< 
veterate enemies, the wisdom with which he tranquillized a 
land distracted by civil wars for nearly half a century, and the 
enlightened toleration of which he gave a bright example him 
self, and recommended the practice to his successors. 34 
Much of the glory both of the public works that Henry exf 



HENRY IV. 275 

cuted, and those still greater which he had projected, undoubt- 
edly belongs to Sully ; but it is no small praise to have selected 
such an adviser, and to have borne wiih patience the reproofs 
which Sully frequently gave him with a boldness almost re« 
publican. The king was happy in possessing such a minister, 
and the minister was as happy in having such a king. The 
nation was still more fortunate in enjoying such a rare combi- 
nation as a virtuous sovereign and a patriotic administration. 



Questions. 

1. Why was Henry IV. compelled to raise the siege of Pu/is? 

2. Did he obtain any victories? 

3. What was the state of parties at this time ? 

4. How were foreign powers divided ? 

5. In what manner did the clergy show their inveterate hostility 

to Henry? 

6. How did Henry's generosity prevent che capture of Paris? 

7. By whom was the siege raised ? 

8. Did the king subsequently meet with a similar disappoint- 

ment ? 

9. What was the character of the prince of Parma? 

10. By whom was the power of the Sixteen overthrown? 

11. What change was necessary to secure Henry's final success? 

12. Was this attended by any beneficial result? 

13. Did any party still hold out? 

14. How were the hostile exertions of the clergy made ineffectual 7 

15. Why were the Jesuits expelled from France? 

16. How was the civil war terminated ? 

17. Were there any remarkable events in the Spanish war? 

18. What was the edict of Nantes ? 

19. Where was peace concluded with Spain? 

20. What was the character of Philip of Spain 7 

21. How did Henry treat his subjects ? 

22. What benefits resulted to France from the administration of 

Sully? 

23. How did the war with the duke of Savoy terminate? 

24. What former favourite of Henry proved a traitor? 

25. Whose intrigues still disturbed France? 

26. How did Henry obtain the title of the Pacifier of Europe? 

27. Why was it difficult to mediate a peace between Spain and 

Holland ? 

28. What curious project is Henry said to have meditated? 

29. Aided by what states did Henry resolve to attack the empire f 

30. Why was this a favourable opportunity? 

31. How was the king's march delayed? 

32. What misfortune was the consequence? 

33. Was Henry a good sovereign ? 

U Who shares the glory of this reign? 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Louia XIII. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



LOUIS XIII. 



Talents angel bright 
if wanting worth are shining instruments, 
In false ambition's hands, to furnish faults 
Illuptnous, and give infamy renown. 

Yorire. 

I. The assassination of Henry IV. overthrew the 
it'in ^^hole structure which his wise conduct had raised, 
' dispelled ail tht? hopes that lovers of their country had 
formed, and plunged the kingdom into every species of mis- 
fortune. In the midst of the public sorrow, the queen and 
several of the courtiers could scarcely conceal their joy at the 
removal of the restraint which had hitherto checked their am- 
bnion and rapacity. Louis XIII. was but nine years old, and 
the appointment to the regency was a natural source of all the 
artifices of political intrigue. 2. The queen dowager, Mary 
de Medicis, was like her predecessor Catharine in desire of 
power, but was not quite so unscrupulous in the use of ini 



LOUIS XHi. 277 

quitous means for its attainment. Her great friend and assist- 
ftnt, the duke d'Epernon, went to the parliament which was 
then sitting, and threatened violence if the queen were noi 
immediately invested with the sole authority of the regency. 
That body, partly moved by his threats, and partly anxious to 
annex the legislative authority of the slates-general to their 
judicial functions, complied with his request. 

3. Nothing could equal the vices and follies of the new go- 
vernment. The Florentine Concini, Marquis d'Ancre, and 
his wife Eleanor, obtained a complete ascendancy over the 
mind of the queen, who was as weak in intellect as she was 
ardent in ambition. These two foreigners, equally rapacious 
and subtle, raised themselves from a condition below mediocrity 
to the summit of fortune. With them were joined the pope's 
nuncio, the Spanish ambassador, and a Jesuit named Cotton, 
the whole forming a secret conclave by which all the import- 
ant measures of the state were directed, whilst the delibera- 
tions of the council of state were rendered an absolute nullity. 
4. The objects that engaged their attention were to cement an 
union between France and Spain, by the marriage of Anne 
of Austria with the king, and his sister Elizabeth with the son 
of Philip III., to dissolve all the alliances formed in the last 
reign, to exterminate the Hugonots, and to dissipate all the 
treasures that had been collected by the economy of the former 
reign. 5. Sully soon became wearied of witnessing crimes 
that he could not check, and profusion that he could not con- 
trol ; he demanded and obtained permission to retire to his 
country-seat, where he parsed the remainder of his life in 
literary retirement, engaged in composing those interesting 
memoirs of his own times, which have proved almost as useful 
to succeeding generations as his pubUc life was to France. 
Once again he returned to court, when Louis XIII. wished 
for his advice. The young courtiers began to ridicule his old- 
fashioned dress and behaviour, which Sully perceiving, said to 
Louis, " When the king, your father, did me the honour of 
consulting me, he first dismissed all the buflToons of the court.' 
This great man survived to the year 1G41. 

6. The misconduct of the government soon produced a civil 
war. The prince of Conde, with several of the most power- 
ful nobles, took up arms, and ihe queen, unable to resist them 
in the field, was compelled to conclude all their demands 
by the treaty of Sainte-Menehoulde. 7. One of these -ifi^ 
was the convocation of the slates-general, which were 
tccordingly assembled, but spent their whole time in useless 
24 



27S HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

disputation. The clergy insisted on the publication jf tne 
decrees of the council of Trent, which the other orders looked 
on as subversive of the independence of the kingdom; on the' 
other hand, a proposal of the third estate to enact a law de- 
claring, "That no temporal or spiritual power has a right to 
dispose of the kingdom and absolve the subjects from their 
allegiance," was rejected by the ecclesiastics as an heretical 
novelty. This can scarcely be deemed surprising when we 
iearn that the regency annulled an arret of the parliament, 
declaring the king independent of foreign jurisdiction. One 
would almost have supposed that the court of Rome had pre- 
sided in the king's council. 

8. The parliament were at length roused to enquire into 
the state of the country ; they made remonstrances to the 
court on the dissipation of the royal treasures, but were 
severely checked for intermeddling with affairs of state. The 
prince of Conde, placing himself at the head of the Hugonots 
again, had recourse to arms. After publishing a most violent 
manifesto, he suffered himself to be duped by the Italian arti- 
fices of the queen, laid down his arms, returned to court, and 
was shut up a close prisoner in the Louvre. Soon after, the 
Marchioness d'Ancre made a total change in the ministry, 
and promoted to the office of secretary of state, Richelieu, 
bishop of Lucon, who was afterwards destined to be the virtual', 
sovereign of France. 

9. The Concinis, though equally despised and de- 
■toy^ tested by the great, were long enabled to resist all 
their efforts ; but they met with a more formidable 
enemy in young Luines, whose rise was almost as rapid and 
astonishing as their own. This man had risen to favour by 
his skill in training birds for the amusement of the monarch ; 
he found means to inspire Louis with a jealousy of the 
authority possessed by the regency, persuaded him to shake 
off the yoke of his domineering mother, and the still more 
odious slavery in which he was held by foreigners, who, 
through her means, were his masters, and the actual rulers 
of his kingdom. 10. These insinuations produced their in- 
tended effect : orders were issued to arrest the marquis d'An- 
cre , and Vitri, captain of the guard, executed them according 
to the intention of Luines; that is, Concini was slain under 
pretence of having made some resistance. This service pro- 
cured for Vitri a marechal's staff; the same honour had previ'- 
ously been conferred on one Themines, for having arrested 
the prince of Conde. What must the government have bee* 



LOUIS XIII. 279 

*vhen such services were rewarded with the highest mihtary 
honours! 11. The trial of the marchioness d'Ancre was a 
glaring mixture of folly and absurdity. The principal accusa- 
tion against her was that she had obtained an influence over 
the queen by sorcery ! When asked by her judges, " what 
magic she had used to fascinate Mary de Medicis ?" she 
replied with equal sense and spirit, " the ascendancy which a 
superior genius has over a weak mind." The parliament de- 
clared her guilty of treason against God and man, without 
specifying any particular action which could be con- 
sidered as either, and sentenced her to be beheaded, iJiq 
after which her body was to be burned. 

12. The exile of the queen mother was a necessary con- 
sequence of the execution of her favourites ; she was sent to 
Blois, where she intrigued with the duke d'Epernon to regain 
her influence by force of arms. Twice was she on the point 
.of commencing a civil war, but the evil was on both occasions 
averted by negociations, in the latter of which Richelieu was 
honourably distinguished. Luines imitated the example of 
the Florentines, whose ruin he had effected ; he enriched 
himself with their spoils, and in a short time rose from the 
rank of a private gentleman to the very highest dignities of 
the state. His weak-minded master gave him the sword of 
constable, and, with still greater folly stirred up a war amongst 
his subjects, in which his favourite might have an opportunity 
of exhibiting his incapacitj'-. 13. The edict of Nantes having 
been flagrantly and repeatedly violated, the Hugonots resolved 
*o defend themselves from continued insults and oppressions: 
an assembly of their leaders was held at Rochelle, where it 
was resolved, unless their wrongs should be redressed, that 
they would throw off' the yoke of France and erect a republic 
on the model of the Dutch. 

14. The constable Luines, equally ignorant and presump- 
tuous, imagining that he could easily crush this formidable 
party, undertook the management of the war ; and 
Louis, at his instigation, laid siege to Montauban, but ic-'q/ 
after having wasted much blood and treasure before its ' '^ ' 
walls, was forced to make a hurried and disgraceful retreat, 
15. Two great captains, the duke of Rohan and his brother 
Soubise, were at the head of the protestants, and nothing could 
detach them from a cause which they thought it their duty to 
defend. Luines died after this disgraceful expedition ; the 
office of constable, which became vacant by his death, was an 
')bject sufficiently tempting to prevail on the brave but ambi- 



280 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ticjs Lesdiguieres, to desert his religion and his party , he at» 
jured protestantism, and became a formidable enemy to ths 
Hugonots, of whom he had long been one of the most favourite 
leaders. 16. The war was carried on with more valour than 
skill on both sides ; in the attack on the island of Rhe, the 
king displayed great personal bravery, and cut to pieces a large 
body of the insurgents ; but the Hugonots were still so formi- 
dable, that he was obliged to renew his former treaty with them, 
and again confirm the edict of Nantes; thus a desultory war 
was again terminated by an insincere peace. 

17. The entire policy of Europe was now about to 
IfiW ""^'^''go a complete revolution, effected by the superior 
genius of one man. We have already noticed the firs' 
mtroduction of Richeheu into public life, and the share that he 
had in reconciling the queen mother to her son ; for this ser- 
vice he had been rewarded with a cardinal's hat ; but the king 
had by an express stipulation, excluded him from holding any 
office in the state. Louis, who was not totally destitute of re- 
ligious feelings, was disgusted by the cardinal's licentious life, 
which his sacred profession rendered more disgraceful. At 
length he yielded to his mother's importunities, and made 
Richelieu one of his council ; the cardinal knew well how to 
improve the opportunity; five years after his appointment to 
the council, he became prime minister and all-powerful; but 
from the first moment of his introduction he was the master 
of all his compeers. 18. The great objects of the cardinal's 
policy were to destroy the Hugonots and humble the house of 
Austria. For this purpose he undertook and executed several 
preparatory measures of great importance. He concluded a 
marriage between Henrietta, the king's sister, and the prince 
of Wales, afterwards Charles I. ; he delivered the Alpine pro- 
vince of the Valteline from the yoke of Rome and Spain ; he 
concluded an alliance with the Dutch, who, though distracted 
by internal religious wars, were maintaining a vigorous con- 
test against the Spaniards, and seizing on some of their most 
important colonies both in Asia and America. 19. Before 
Richelieu could undertake his magnificent projects with any 
chance of success, it was necessary to secure himself in the 
ministry against the factions of the French nobility, who still 
preserved some portion of their foi'fner feudal power. Gaston, 
duke of Orleans, brother of the king, was at the head of a 
party opposed to the cardinal, whose assassination he meditated. 
The fickleness and cowardice of Gaston was the ruin of hia 
accomplices; he reconciled himself to the court by disclosinjf 



282 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Gaston, Duke of Orleans, disclosing the Conspiracy Jo RicheJ-'su. 



LOUIS XIII. 283 

(heir conspiracy to Richelieu, and again formed new conspira 
cies, whose failure only served to strengthen the exorbitant 
power of the minister. Never had a statesman so many diffi- 
culties to encounter, but they only served to give scope to hia 
genius, and his ambitious spirit supplied him with an energy 
and perseverance that triumphed over all opposition. 20. To 
authorise the changes that he intended, an assembly of the 
Notables was convoked ; this was merely a convocation of the 
principal nobility, and did not, like the states-general, contain 
any popular representatives. Richelieu proposed several im 
portant measures for the reformation of finance, and addressed 
the assembly with equal wisdom and eloquence ; he said that 
it was better to provide for the due execution of former edicts 
than to form new ordinances, and that actions rather than words 
would be found a proper remedy for the evils of the state. All 
his edicts were approved without opposition. 

21. Whilst the genius of Richelieu ruled the whole 
kingdom of France, the duke of Buckingham, the im- -i/^o-y 
prudent minister of Charles I., was arming England 
against her ancient enemy. The imprudent zeal of Henri 
etta's catholic attendants had provoked the hostility of the 
English ; the attacks made on their protestant brethren, the 
Hugonots, had excited the national sympathy in their favour, 
and Buckingham took advantage of these circumstances to 
revenge an insult which had been offered him by Richelieu. 
Whilst the English duke had been employed in negociating 
'the marriage between Henrietta and Charles, he was weak 
enough to form a romantic attachment for Louis's queen, Anne 
of Austria. Anxious to pay her a second visit, he passed over 
into France, under the pretence of concluding a treaty against 
Spain, but Richelieu being informed of his sentiments, caused 
him to be denied admittance at court, and Buckingham, irri- 
tated at his disappointment, resolved to encourage and support 
the Hugonots, who, equally suspicious and suspected, were 
again engaged in an insurrection.' 22, The rashness of 
Buckingham caused the ruin of Rochelle, which had long been 
justly looked on as the principal bulwark of the French pro- 
testants. Richelieu undertook its siege in person, and showed, 
during its continuance, the valour of a soldier, the skill of a 
general, the wisdom of a statesman, but little of the attributes 
which belonged to his profession of an ecclesiastic. The duke 
of Buckingham, on the other hand, undertook nothing that 
did not prove his complete incapacity for the situation into 
which he had been thrust by the favour of his foolish sove 



284 HISTORY OF FRANCE 

reijs^n. He made a descent on the isle of Rhe, which waa 
badly contrived, and worse executed ; after being disgracefully 
defeated he returned home, leaving Rochelle completely in- 
vested both by sea and land. To exclude the English suc- 
cours, the cardinal had caused a mole to be constructed across 
the entrance of the harbour ; he was not interrupted in the 
execution of this daring project, for the duke of Buckingham 
having been assassinated at Portsmouth, the sailing of the 
English fleet was delayed until after this great work had been 
completed. 23. The inhabitants of Rochelle bore all the 
horrors of a fierce siege and pressing famine, with unparalleled 
courage and patience. Guiton, their mayor, would not listen 
even to the proposal of a surrender ; when told that the majo- 
rity of the inhabitants were fast falling victims to hunger and 
disease, he replied — " it is enough if one remains to shut the 
gates." The mother and sister of the duke de Rohan ani- 
mated the garrison by their spirited exhortations, and encour 
aged the citizens by their example of patient submission to 
privation. But, though heroic perseverance may be exhibited 
with the very faintest glimmerings of hope, it decays and per- 
ishes when the failure of the last faint expectation is witnessed. 
24. The hope of relief from England had supported the 
Rochellans under ail their sufl^erings ; the English fleet hove 
in sight; the worn-down inhabitants crawled to the walls, 
eager to witness the success of this their last and only chance. 
They saw that fleet, after a weak and inefltctual effort to 
break through the mole, tack about and leave them to their 
fate. The courage by which they had been hitherto supported 
at once failed, they immediately surrendered almost at discre- 
tion, and a royahst garrison manned the walls of Rochelle, ere 
the topsails of the fleet that had been sent for their de- 
rfi^S I'verance were out of sight. 25. The victorious army 
* seemed, on entering the city, to have come into the 
abode of death ; more than two-thirds of the inhabitants had 
fallen victims to the calamities of the siege, and the survivors 
resembled skeletons rather than living men ; the streets were 
silent and deserted, " there was not a house in which there 
was not one dead ;" and one of the victorious generals was 
compelled to exclaim, " we have only triumphed over carcas- 
ses." A few days after the surrender of the town, a violent 
tempest destroyed the mole which had proved its ruin, but 
Richeheu had demolished the fortifications, and the citizens 
were too few and too dispirited to make any new attempt foi 
freedom. 26. Nismes and Montauban shortly after surren- 



LOUIS XIII. 



285 



dered, but as the protestants were still formidable, the cardinal 
granted them favourable conditions of peace. The cause of 
the Hugonots was, however, completely ruined ; they no longer 
retained any of those cautionary towns, by the possession 
of which they could enforce the observance of treaties. They 
were wholly at the mercy of their enemies, and were destined 
jn the next reign to experience how weak is the security of 
promises between the powerful and the feeble. 

27. The cardinal having subdued the Hugonots pre- 
pared to execute his great scheme of humbling the i^'oq' 
house of Austria. The war was successful in Italy, 
but it was in Germany that the cardinal more fully displayed 
the resources of his genius, for he had there an ally, whose 
heroism has been rarely paralleled. The emperor Ferdinand, 
b)'^ the most flagrant violations of treaties, had provoked the 
protestant princes to take up arms : they found a leader worthy 
of their cause, in Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, whom 
history has honoured with the name o^ the Lion nf the North. 
23. This contest in Germany, which is usually called the 
thirty years' war, was supported by the money of France and 
the soldiers of Sweden; it was on the whole unfavourable to 
.he imperial arms, notwithstanding the great abilities displayed 
by the generals Tilly and Wallenstein. 

29. In the mean 
time, Gaston, duke of ,/^oo 
Orleans, instigated by 
the queen-mother, and en- 
couraged by the duke of Lor- 
raine, to whose sister he was 
married, renewed the civil 
war. Weaker even than his 
brother, this prince, the slave 
of unworthy flatterers, com- 
menced rebellions to gratify 
his favourites, and then sacri- 
ficed them to obtain peace. 
The duke of Lorraine was 
punished by the loss of his 
best places, and the forfeiture 
of a great part of his domi- 
nions. The duke of Mont- 
morenci, who had been in- 
duced to join in the plot by the hope of obtaining the office 
of constable, was still more unfortunate. Having fallen into 




/ 



Gaston, Duke of Orlcana. 



286 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ihe hands of his enemies, he was sentenced to expiate his am 
bition on the scaffold, and not-withstanding the great services 
his family had performed to the state, and the interest made 
to save his hfe by all the nobility of France, he was publicly 
executed. Gaston's marriage with the princess of Lorraine, 
haring been contracted without the royal assent, was declared 
null by the lawyers of Paris, and set aside by the parliament. 
The quarrel between him and his brother was after some lime 
accommodated, but bitter hostility still remained in the breasts 
of all the parties. 

30. The death of Gustavus Adolphus, in the arms of victory, 
for a time checked the triumphant career of the protestants in 
Germany; but Richelieu, tiiough the determined enemy of 
the reformed religion in France, saw that by supporting it in 
the empire, he could alone check the exorbitant power of the 
house of Austria. A new treaty was concluded with the duke 
of Saxe Weimar, and additional subsidies were sent to 

, p.jJ enable him to carry on the war with vigour. 31. The 
■ hostilities between Spain and Holland still continued 
to the great advantage of the latter ; Richelieu entered into 
close alliance with the Dutch, and by a treaty agreed to a par- 
tition of Flanders as if it had been already subdued. 32. The 
first and second campaigns were disastrous to the French ; the 
soldiers mutinied for want of pay; the Dutch made but little 
exertion, dreading to extend the dominions of a neighbour so 
powerful as France to their frontiers ; the Flemings continued 
faithful to Spain, because their municipal privileges were re- 
spected, and, with the single exception of the duke de Rohan, 
all the French generals exhibited the most signal proofs of 
presumption and incapacity. The Spaniards invaded Picardy, 
and were at first so successful, that the French trembled for 
their capital; but they lost all their advantages through the 
misconduct of their generals, and the spirit of national resist- 
ance which is roused in a patriotic people by an invasion. It 
would be equally superfluous and tiresome to enter into the 
particulars of a war so complicated, and carried on with such 
obstinacy, in which the strength of the powers was every- 
where exhausted as well by victories as defeats. Suffice it 
to say, that the Spaniards were finally overwhelmed by a series 
of calamities, their armies were defeated by the count d'Har 
court, the Dutch admiral. Van Tromp, destroyed their fleet, 
Catalonia revolted, and placed itself under the protec- 

\Rd() '''°" °^ France, and Portugal, having thrown off the 
' yoke of Spain, placed the duke of Braganza on ita 



LOUIS XIII. 287 

•hrDne. 33, The death of Weimar and Bannier for a time 
dispirited the Swedes, but they had previously so weakened 
the empire by several brilliant victories, that Austria contend- 
ed rather for independence than dominion ; and their new 
leader, Tortenson, seemed not inferior to any of his prede- 
cessors. 

34. The internal history of France presents us during this 
period with nothing but a series of intrigues for overthrowing 
the power of Richelieu, all of which were disconcerted either 
by his superior skill or the weakness of his enemies. These 
plots were fatal to many of the French nobilitj% for the car- 
dinal procured from the corrupted courts of justice the con- 
demnation of those who had conspired for his overthrow. He 
continued, however, to veil his passions under an air of gran- 
deur. After the execution of the last victims that were sacri- 
ficed to his jealous fears for his security, he wrote to Louis 
XTII. in the following terms : — " Sire, your enemies are dead, 
and your arms are in Perpignan." That important town had 
been just taken from the Spaniards. 35. But when his 

S)wer seemed to have arrived at its greatest height ; when 
ary de Medicis, who had been his early patron, but had 
subsequently become his most bitter and dangerous foe, had 
perished in misery and exile at Cologne ; when the nobility 
dreaded him more than their sovereign, and seemed to have 
resigned all hopes of throwing off the yoke ; at that 
moment he was surprised by the hand of death, and -.AaA 
was cut short in the midst of his triumphant career. 
36. Richelieu appears to have possessed shining rather than 
solid abilities ; his enterprises were always vast and magni- 
ficent, but were not uniformly important and useful. His 
moral character was of the worst description, unscrupulous in 
the use of any means by which he might retain the situation 
of minister, he corrupted the administration of justice, and 
added to the legal murder of his opponents the mockery of an 
iniquitous trial before tribunals of his own selection. At the 
same time it must be confessed that the cardinal does not ap- 
pear to have been worse than his rivals ; public virtue seems 
at this period to have been banished from France, and if more 
of crimes are recorded of Richelieu than of his antagonists, let 
it be remembered that his situation was more conspicuous. 
[n private life he was fond of show and grandeur, his expen- 
diture equalled that of the sovereign, and the palace which ne 
erected for his own residence (the Palais Royal) is still one ot 
the noblest structures in Paris. He wished to be deemed a 



288 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

patron of the fine arts, and had the vanity to think himself an 
excellent dramatic poet. But to this weakness must be op 
posed the vigour with which he resisted the whole nobility of 
France, and destroyed the remnants of their feudal power. Il 
was during his administration that the government of France 
was finally formed into an absolute monarchy, and it was the 
remembrance of this that probably induced Peter the Great of 
Russia to exclaim, " I would give half my dominions for one 
Richelieu to teach me how to govern the remainder." 

37. Louis XIII. did not long survive his minister, 
Ifii-^ he died with apparent resignation in the forty-second 
year of his age and thirty-third of his reign, leaving 
his kingdom again exposed to all the evils of a long minority 
for his son and successor had not yet attained his fifth year. 
Louis had so little share in the government of the kingdom, 
that he can scarcely be said to have reigned ; his defective 
education and natural weakness of intellect subjected him com- 
pletely to his servants, and it has been well observed by a late 
writer, that "during this reign Louis XIII. vsrore the crown, 
%nd cardinal Richelieu swayed the sceptre." 



Questions 



1. Did any persons rejoice in the murder of Henry? 

2. Who obtained the regency? 

3. By whom was the power of the state usurped? 

4. What were the designs of this party? 
6. How did Sully act? 

6. On what terms was the civil war terminated ? 

7. How did the assembly of the states act? 

8. In what manner was the prince of Cond6 treated t 

9. What rival of the Concinis now appeared? 

10. By whom was the marquis d'Ancre arrested ? 

11. What accusations were brought against the marchJone»« 

d'Ancre ? 

12. How did the queen mother act? 

13. To what resolution did the protestant3 come? 

14. Who was sent against them, and how did he conduct die war? 

15. By whom were the protestants deserted? 

16. How was the war carried on? 

17. Who now began to sway the destinies of France? 

18. What measures did Richelieu take preparatory to his great 

designs? 

19. How did Gaston, duke of Orleans, conduct himself? 



LOUIS XIII. 



289 



20 In what manner did Richelieu manage the assembly of the 
Notables? 

21. How did England become involved in a war with France? 

22, What contrast was there between the character and conduct 

of the rival ministers of France and England at the siege 
of Rochelle ? 

23 Did the town make a vigorous resistance ? 

24 How were the inhabitants finally induced to surrender? 

25 What was the state of Rochelle at the time of its capitulation f 
26, On what conditions was peace made with the protestants? 
27 What formidable enemy now assailed the empire? 

28. By what name is this war known in history? 

29. How did the duke of Orleans destroy his friends? 

30. Were the protestants overthrown by the death of Gustavua 

Adolphus? 

31. With whom did Richelieu enter into an alliarMie against 

Spain ? 

32. What general summary may be given of the events of the 

war ? 

^3. By whom was the protestant cause maintained ? 

34. How did Richelieu conduct himself in France? 

?5. When did the cardinal die? 

J6. What was his character ? 

.*7. Did Louis long survive his minister'? — what was bis cha- 
racter ? 




Lady aii' Cenii^inan riding to Court. — Sixteenth Centuiy. 

^5 



290 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Louia XIV. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 
LOUIS XIV.— THE WARS OF THE FRONDE, 

Each party joined to do their best, 
To damn the public interest, 
And herded only in consults 
To put by one another's bolts. 

HvOIBKAt. 

1. Louis XIII. on his death-bed had appointed by 
ui^ his will a council of regency, at the head of which were 
* placed the queen, Anne of Austria, and the duke of 
Orleans. To insure its execution, he made the queen and the 
duke swear to its observance, after which he ordered it to be 
registered by the parliament. But all his precautions were 
unavailing ; the grave had scarcely been closed over him, 
when his will w^as openly and shamelessly violated. The 
queen, being aided by the duke of Orleans, obtained an arret 
of parhament, giving to her the nomination of the council, 
and the right of appointment to all the great offices of state. 
2. Having thus obtained all the real authority of the kingdom. 



LOUIS XIV. 29J 

•ne chose as her principal adviser and minister, cardinal Ma- 
Kinn, a native of Italy, whose diplomatic abilities had recom- 
mended him to the notice of Richelieu, and who seemed to 
have inherited all the ambition and much of the abilities of his 
patron. '3. The war with Spain still continued, and was main- 
tained on the side of Flanders with distinguished ability by 
the duke d'Enghien, afterwards better known by the name of 
" the great Conde." On the death of the king, orders had 
»jen sent him not to risk an engagement ; but anxious to re- 
lieve the important town of Rocroi, which was closely besieged, 
he resolved to hazard a battle. The Spanish infantry were at 
that time considered the best in Europe ; they boasted that 
their lines had never yet been broken, and deemed that Conde 
was marching to certain defeat. But the judicious manoeu- 
vres of this youthful general soon humbled the pride of the 
Spanish veterans ; in the third charge their ranks were broken, 
and their entire army hopelessly routed. 4. The capture of 
Thionville was the consequence of this brilliant victory, which 
may indeed be said to have placed Flanders at the mercy of 
France. From thence Conde proceeded to Germany, where 
the French had experienced some reverses ; but the presence 
of this young hero soon changed the fortune of the war. 5. 
With inferior forces he attacked the imperialists in their en- 
trenched camp near Friburg, and defeated them after an ob- 
stinate battle which lasted three days. PhiHpsburgh, Mentz, 
and several other fortresses on the Rhine, were the fruits of 
this brilliant victory. Gaston, duke of Orleans, had a little be- 
fore made himself master of Gravelines, which had sustained 
a vigorous siege for two months. But the French were less 
successful in Catalonia, where Philip I.V. defeated their forces, 
and captured the important towns, Lerida and Balaguier. 

6. At the end of the campaign, Conde returned to 
Paris, leaving the command of the army to the mare- ,'l" °* 
chal Turenne. This general advanced into the heart * 

of the country to take advantage of a great victory gained by 
the Swedish general Torstenson, in Bohemia. On this ocra- 
sion, Turenne committed a capital error, the only one, it is 
said, of which he had ever been guilty, by consenting to the 
separation of the allied forces : Merci, the imperial genera., 
was not slow in taking advantage of this opportunity, he at- 
tacked the French at Manendahl in Franconia, and gained & 
complete victory. 7. On the receipt of this news Conde has- 
tened to join Turenne, he then led his forces against the im- 



292 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



A. B. 
164S. 



perialists, attacked them at Nordlingen, and obtained a th j 
triumph even more glorious than his preceding victories. 

8- The prince then marched to besiege Dunkirk, but Maza- 
rin, jealous of his fame and influence, had him removed to the 
command of the army in Catalonia, where, for want of neces- 
sary succours, he could undertake no enterprise of importance. 
His inaction did not long continue ; the emperor's brother, the 
archduke Leopold, having invaded Flanders and compelled 
the French army to retire, it was necessary to recai Conde and 
send him again to the scene of his former glory. He 
was too late to relieve Lens, which surrendered almost 
in his sight. But he well avenged his countrymen in 
the battle that ensued ; he to- 
tally defeated the archduke 
after a brief but sanguinary 
engagement, in which he left 
it doubtful whether he had 
displayed more skill or valour. 
Never since the foundation 
of the monarchy had France 
obtained such a series of 
splendid triumphs ; never be- 
fore had Frenchmen exhibited 
so much courage and conduct. 
9. On the other hand, the 
Spanish monarchy had expe- 
rienced a succession of re- 
verses at least equally re- 
markable ; the loss of Hol- 
land and Portugal had been followed by that of the Brazilian 
settlements in South America, and the most valuable Spanish 
colonies in the East Indies. 10. To these was added about 
this time the revolt of the Neapolitans, who chose as their 
leader a fisherman named Masaniello. This demagogue was 
afterwards murdered by the populace, who had only the day 
before hailed him as a divinity. The insurgenU then resolved 
to establish a republic under the protection of France, and 
elected as doge the duke of Guise, who had some hereditary 
claims on Naples. Guise hastened to take possession of his 
new dignity, but receiving no succours from Mazarin, he was 
betrayed to the Spaniards and detained more than four years 
m prison. The Spaniards punished the revolters with fear- 
ful severity ; no less than fourteen thousand are said to have 
be«n ruthlessly massacred. 11. Experience has given a 




Cardinal Mazarin. 



LOUIS XIV. 293 

further proof of the truth of the remark made by the old Ita- 
lian historian, Giannone, "No people," says he, "is more 
greedy and less capable of liberty than the Neapolitans. Giddy 
in their conduct, inconstant in their affections, unsteady in 
their opinions, they hate the present, and are too much de- 
pressed with the fears or hopes of futurity, according to the 
dictates of impetuous passion." 

12. At length the separate interests of the several contend- 
ing powers required them to think of peace. Spain and Hol- 
land, after a war which had been protracted for eig-hty years, 
were wearied of the contest ; the former country saw 
that it would be vain to continue any further their la- ^/{^s^' 
hours for the subjugation of the revolted provinces; 
and the Dutch had begun to dread the dangerous increase of 
the French power. The complicated interests of the Ger- 
manic body, made the arrangement of the claims of the dif- 
ferent parties a matter of considerable difficulty ; but some new 
successes of the Swedes showed the emperor the danger of 
delay ; and the dread of a civil war in France made Mazarin 
still more anxious to bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion. 
The inferior powers were obliged to follow the example of 
Austria and France ; and at length the articles of the cele- 
brated treaty of Westphalia were signed at Munster, on the 
24th of October, 

J 3. Spain and France were now the only countries that re- 
mained at war, and the civil dissensions that were caused in 
the latter by the unpopularity of the government greatly facili- 
tated the progress of the Spanish arms. The hatred that the 
oppressive taxes and despotic edicts of Mazarin inspired, was 
the cause of this war. The parliament of Paris not only re- 
fused to register his edicts, but forgetting the bounds of their 
jurisdiction, abolished the intendants of provinces, who were 
instituted by Louis XIII. ; and the court being filled with in- 
dignation, resolved to strike a decisive blow. By the cardinal's 
orders, a president and counsellor who had been distinguished 
for their vehement speeches against the court were arrested 
and thrown into prison. Upon this the Parisians took up arms, 
threw chains across the streets, erected barricadoes, killed seve- 
ral of the royal army, and had nearly made Mazarin himself 
the victim of their resentment. The cardinal, alarmed at the 
violence of the populace, displayed weakness as cowardly as 
his former proceedings had been rash, and ordered the prison- 
ers to be set at liberty. 
25* 



294 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

14. The opponents of the court took the title of Frondeurs,* 
they were stimulated to action chiefly by the coadjutor to the 
archbishop of Paris, afterwards the celebrated cardinal de 
Retz, a man equally distinguished by abilities and profligacy. 
The leaders of the Fronde were the prince of Conti, brother 
to the great Conde, with the dukes of Longueville, Beaufort, 
Vendome, and Bouillon. Conde, though discontented, sided 
with the court, and when the parhament had declared theif 
intention to take up arms, blockaded Paris. 15. This strange 
war was carried on by the pen as much as by the sword ; 
every occurrence was made the subject of a jest or ballad ; 
satires, lampoons, anAjeux cf esprit of every description were 
circulated every hour; ladies of rank forgetting the dignity 
of their sex, forced themselves into every political intrigue ; in 
short, the war was ridiculously begun, ridiculously con- 

lfi4Q ducted, and still more ridiculously concluded. 16. A 
' seeming accommodation was effected between the par- 
ties, a general amnesty was published, and the court returned 
to Paris. But the following year, the prince of Conde, whose 
pretensions knew no bounds, quarrelled with the cardinal, and 
was, in consequence, sent to prison ; at the same time his 
brother, the prince of Conti, and his friend, the duke of 
Longueville, were arrested. 17. Mazarin could not have re- 
solved on a bolder, or apparently a more successful measure. 
The populace celebrated with bonfires the imprisonment of 
those princes whom they had a few months before looked on 
as their patrons and defenders, and followed with shouts in the 
train of a minister so lately the object of their execration. 
But the intemperate vanity of JVIazarin rendered this tranquil- 
lity of short duration ; he affronted Gaston, duke of 

J^5?l* Orleans, a man ever ready to change sides, and pro- 

voked the Frondeurs, who still breathed sedition. The 

parliament demanded the release of the imprisoned princes, 

* The origin of this name has been variously narrated, but the 
following account appears to be the most probable : — 

At the commencemen of the troubles, Bachaumont, a counsellor 
of the parliament, sportively said, that his associates were like 
school-boys, amusing themselves with a. fronde (sling) in one of the 
city ditches; they dispersed themselves v/henever the civil lieu- 
tenant approached, and coUected together as soon as he had turned 
bis back. This comparison was considered so applicable, that i 
•was celebrated in songs, and on the same evening the parliament 
party put bands resembling slings round their hats. From thenc* 
forward the opponents of the court were called /ro»(ieMr«. 



LOUIS XR. 295 

and pronounced sentence of perpetual banishment against the 
cardinal. Mazarin went in person to re..ease the prince of 
Conde and his associates, hoping that he might be able to at- 
tach them to his interest, but received from them only marks 
of contempt. He then retired to Liege and afterwards to 
Cologne, whence he still governed the queen-regent as abso- 
lutely as if he had never quitted the court. 

18. Conde took up arms against the court, and was opposed 
by Turenne, who had formerly been a leader of the Fronde. 
The two great generals came to an engagement under the 
walls of Paris, in which the royalists were victorious, though 
the daughter of the duke of Orleans, by turning the cannon 
of the ba;itille against the king's forces, prevented them from 
immediately reaping the fruits of their triumph. 

19. As the hatred against the minister seemed implacable, 
the king consented to his removal, and dismissed him after 
having made his eulogium in a declaration. The Parisians 
then joyfully opened their gates to their sovereign, and the 
face of affairs was entirely changed. The duke of Orleans 
went to end his days in banishment, the cardinal de Retz was 
imprisoned, and Conde took refuge with the Spaniards, where, 
like the constable of Bourbon, he found that all his former in- 
fluence and all his former glory were annihilated the moment 
that he became a traitor. 

20. To the storms of the Fronde succeeded so still 

a calm that Mazarin again appeared peaceably at court, -i «cq 
resumed all his authority, and saw himself courted by 
every body, even by the parliament ; a conclusion worthy of 
an absurd war, the history of which, as was observed by 
Conde, after he had played his part in it, deserved only to be 
written in burle'^vque verse. The faction of that prince were 
called the party of the petits maitres, because they wanted to 
make themselves masters of the state. In a short time the 
name petits maitres, given to youthful coxcombs, and the 
term Frondeurs, applied to factious censurers of the govern- 
iient, were the only relics of these foolish wars. 

21. The Spaniards, during these contests, recovered many 
of their former losses, and deprived France of the advantages 
that it had obtained from the victories of the great Conde. 
That prince was now in arms against his country, and would 
have exposed it to the greatest dangers had he not been op- 
posed by Turenne. These great rivals attracted the attention 
of all Europe. Turenne had been deemed an unequal match 
for Conde, but the prince was not in a situation to display hi* 



2^6 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

military taients ; he was depressed by the consciousness oX 
fighting against his countrymen, and was besides unable to 
convince the Spanish generals, equally ignorant and obstinate, 
of the superior merit of his own plans. 22. England, at this 
time under the vigorous administration of Cromwell, may be 
said to have held the balance of European power ; the alliance 
of the protector was eagerly courted by both parties, but at 
'ength Mazarin prevailed by his excessive complaisance, not 
to say meanness. The English auxiliaries restored 
-i^c-Q suj>eriority to the French. Turenne, aided by six 
' thousand British troops, laid siege to Dunkirk, while 
the port was blocked up by twenty sail of English men-of-war. 
Don John of Austria and the prince of Conde marched to its 
relief; Turenne attacked them near Dunes, and gained a 
complete victory, a consequence which the prince of Conde 
/lad predicted when he saw the bad dispositions which were 
made against his will. The fruits of this triumph were the 
surrender of Dunkirk, which was garrisoned by the English, 
and the capture of all the frontier towns in the Spanish Neth- 
erlands. 23. Completely crushed by the weight of the v/ar, 
Spain began to turn her thoughts on peace, and Mazarin 
anxiously negotiated a marriage between Louis and the infanta. 
It would be, perhaps, paying too high a compliment to Maza- 
rin's prophetic power, to say that he foresaw that in conse- 
quence of this marriage the throne of Spain would devolve tc 
the family of the Bourbons ; but such a contingency was fore- 
seen, as there was an express renunciation of the infanta's 
claim inserted in the articles, which eventually shared the fate 
of all similar renunciations, that is to say, was violated on the 
first opportunity. 

24. During the negotiation of this treaty, which 
Ifi^QiSr ^^^ named that of the Pyrennees, Charles II., the 

,^^j^ exiled monarch of England, came to Fontarabia to 
sohcit the protection of the two crowns, but neither 
Mazarin nor the Spanish minister, Don Louis de Haro, would 
deign so much as to listen to him. But at this very moment, 
when all his hopes seemed blighted, a counter-revolution took 
place in England, and by the aid of general Monk, Charles 
was restored to the throne of tiis ancestors. 

2.5. In the following year died cardinal Mazarin, as absolute 
master of the state as Richelieu had been, displaying the 
same pomp, though he had first put on the appearance of 
modesty, and leaving to his heirs an immense fortune, accu- 
niulaced by means that exposed him to just reproaches. His 



LOUIS XIV. 



297 




LOUIS XIV. 299 

nieces were married to the most illustrious nobles of Franca 
and Italy ; their portions were paid out of the public funds, 
which greatly exhausted the finances. Mazarin does not 
appear to have been a man of brilliant abilities, but he pos- 
sessed good sense and good fortune, qualities sufficient to make 
a great though not a good minister. It would, however, be 
unjust to refuse him the praise he merits for having negociated 
the treaties of WestphaHa and the Pyrennees ; the title of 
peace-maker is glorious, and the wars thus concluded had / 
caused many miseries, devastations, and massacres. 



Questions. 

1. How was the will of the late king violated * 

2. Whom did the qneen appoint prime minister? 

3. What great victory was obtained by the duke d'Enghien f 

4. Were any towns captured in consequence ? 

5. With what success was the war conducted in other parts ? 

6. By what mistake of their general did the French lose th« 

battle of Manendahl ? 

7. By whom was their loss retrieved ? 

8. Did Conde obtain any other victory ? 

9. What losses did Spain suffer 7 

10. What were the most remarkable circumstances in the Neapo- 

litan revolution? 

11. What character has been given of the Neapolitans? 

12. How was peace restored throughout the greater part of 

Europe 1 

13. What civil commotions took place in France* 

14. Who were the leaders of the Fronde ? 

15. Was there any thing ridiculous in this war? 

16. Whose ambition excited fresh disturbances ? 

17. How did Mazarin behave? , 

18. Was there any battle fought between the parties? 

19. How was peace restored ? 

20. What proves the fickleness of the French nation? 

21. How was the war with Spain carried on ? 

22. Did the English take any, and what share in the war 

23. On what conditions was peace concluded with Spain < 

24. Did any remarkable revolution take place in England about 

this time ? 
85. What M as the character of Mazarin ? 



100 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




The Grand Dauphin, Son of Louis XIV., and a Lady of the Court. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



LOUIS XIV. TO THE TREATY OF RYSWICK. 



There shall they rot — ambition's honour'd fools ! 
Yet. honour decks the turf that wraps their clay! 
Vain sophistry ! in these behold the tools ! 
The broken tools, that tyrants cast away 
By myriads, when they dare to pave their way 
With human hearts — to what? — a dream alone. 
. Can despots compass aught that holds their sway^ 
Or call with truth one spot of earth their own, 
Save that wherein at last they crumble bone by bone. 

BmoN. 

1. It was not imagined that Louis XIV, after hav- 
Ififil '"^ ^° '°"§^ delegated his authority to another, would 
have assumed the reins of government on the death of 
his minister. Ill-educated, ignorant of business, addicted to 
pleasure, and of an age in which the passions usually predo- 
minate over reason, it was naturally supposed that, like se 
many other princes, he would have devolved the cares of the 
state on some new favourite, and devoted himself to sensual 



LOUIS XIV 301 

enjoyments. But the predominant passions of his soul were 
ambition of military glory, and a thirst for extensive domi 
nions ; even during the life of Mazarin he had been impatient 
of the yoke, and no sooner was he liberated from it by the 
death of the cardinal than he declared his resolution to be 
sovereign of France in fact as well as in name. 2. The 
finances, under the administration of the able Colbert, were 
retrieved from their former ruinous state, and became a source 
of prosperity and splendour; the prince of Conde and mar- 
shal Turenne, now happily united, were the greatest generals 
of the age ; and Louvois, the minister at war, possessed abili- 
ties capable of directing the greatest exploits. 3. While 
France was thus happily situated, the rest of Europe exhibited 
nothing but weakness. Holland, though powerful by sea, was 
destitute of an army ; the empire, weakened by late wars, was 
scarcely able to resist the arms of the Turks ; England, under 
the profligate government of Charles II. had lost all the 
authority which she had acquired during the protectorate; 
Spain, governed by women and priests, was sunk almost be- 
low contempt, and the northern powers, engaged in petty dis- 
putes, possessed no influence on the continent. It is no 
wonder that, under these circumstances, Louis secretly che- 
rished the hope of making the French monarchy the first in 
Europe, and obtainmg for it that pre-eminence which it had 
possessed in the reign of Charlemagne. 

4. Before the commencement of the war which developed 
these designs, Louis gave several signal proofs of his spirit, 
and also of his political skill. He threatened to renew the 
war with Spain, unless the right of precedence was conceded 
to his ambassador, and actually sent an army into Italy to 
punish the pope for an insult offered to the French embassy, 
and which had been provoked by insolence and outrage. Dun- 
kirk was purchased from the necessitous Charles II., to the 
great and just displeasure of the English people, who saw it, 
when strengthened by new fortifications, become a powerful 
bulwark of France, and a port formidable to the English trade 
from the protection it afforded privateers in time of war. As- 
sistance was sent to the Austrians, by which they were ena- 
bled to check the progress of the Turks ; and by the aid of 
Rome French forces, the independence of Portugal was finally 
completed. .5. Commercial jealousy had led to a v^-ar between 
England and Holland, which was equally injurious to both 
countries. Louis supported the Dutch, and aided them by a 
powerful fleet, which the judicious measures of Colbert may 
26 



302 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Colbert, 



be almost said to have created 
Holland was at this time go 
verned by the grand pension- 
ary, John de Wit, who opposed 
the English with equal wisdom 
and resolution. Several fierce 
naval engagements were 
fought without any decisive 
advantage being gained, and 
England soon began to disco- 
ver that the war was any thing 
but politic. The great plague 
and the great fire of London 
were national calamities that 
calmed the desire for war. Ne- 
gotiations were commenced at Breda, but before the 
lo/ijiy" peace was concluded, the English had the mortification 
to see de Ruyter enter the Thames and burn several 
vessels. The treaty was not, however, broken off" by this event, 
and the articles were, on the whole, favourable to England. 

6. Although by the treaty of the Pyrennees, the queen of 
France had resigned all claim to the dominions of her father, 
yet Louis formed the design of reviving some of those rights, 
and securing a portion of that vast succession. The emperor 
Leopold and the French king had actually entered into a treaty 
for the partition of the Spanish dominions, by which it was 
agreed that France should receive Brabant and the Nether- 
lands, and that Spain should be given to Leopold, if, as seemed 
probable, Charles, the reigning monarch, should die without 
issue. Both parties seemed ashamed of the agreement, and 
took the most extraordinary precautions to keep it a profound 
secret. No copy was taken of the instrument, and the original, 
locked up in an iron box, of which the two' sovereigns alone 
kept the keys, was entrusted to the care of the grand duke of 
Tuscany. 7. But Louis claimed Flanders also in right of his 
wife, because, by the law of inheritance established in that 
country, the female issue by a first marriage succeeded in pre- 
ference to the male offspring of a second union. 

8. Aided by such able ministers and generals, the 
, of'Z king marched to certain conquest, Flanders and Franche 
Comte were subdued before the end of the second 
campaign, and would probably have been annexed to the do- 
minions of France had not all Europe taken alarm at the 
dangers with which its repose was threatened by the npiJ 



LOUIS XIV. 303 

progress of the French arms. England, Sweden, and Hoi 
land formed a triple alliance to check the ambitious career of 
Louis, and he was very unwillingly compelled to resign the 
greater part of his conquests, and confirm anew the treaty of 
the Pyrennees. 

9. The French monarch was naturally indignant at being 
thus deprived of a prey which had seemed certain. He was 
particularly enraged against the Dutch, whom he had assisted 
when attacked by the English and the bishop of Munster. 
He thirsted for revenge and conquest, neglecting no means 
which were likely to insure both. 10. His most important 
measure was to break the alliance between England and Hol- 
land, which being dictated by mutual interest, seemed likely 
to be permanent ; but with a perfect knowledge of the cha- 
racter of the English king, Louis prepared to assail him by 
two powerful bribes, a pension and a mistress. Suspected by 
his parhament of a design to introduce popery and arbitrary 
power, Charles was not able to procure from his people money 
enough to support his lavish expenditure ; a slave to depraved 
passion, it was judged probable that the charms of Madame 
de Kerouille would be sufficient to ensnare his heart. To 
complete this disgusting scene, the entire negociation was en- 
trusted to the duchess of Orleans, Charles's own sister, and by 
her intervention a secret aUiance was concluded against Hol- 
land ; the king of England became the pensioner of France, 
and to secure his obedience, Madame de Kerouille, created 
duchess of Portsmouth, became chief favourite of the degraded 
sovereign. IL The emperor Leopold was engaged in war 
with his Hungarian subjects, the German princes were for the 
most part purchased by the French monarch, Sweden was 
bribed to desert the alliance, Spain was utterly helpless, and 
Louis thought himself sure of easily conquering the defence- 
less republic. 

12. As there was no solid reason for the war, re- 
course was had to the most ridiculous pretences. A -,Ay^ 
medal had been struck, on which was an inscription, 
stating that Holland had secured the laws, purified religion, 
succoured, defended, and reconciled the monarchs, asscrtea 
the freedom of the seas, and established the tranquillity of 
Europe. This innocent piece of national vanity was gravely 
denounced as a serious grievance ; the Dutch broke the die, 
but Charles and Louis had taken their resolution, and w^ar waa 
declared 



304 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

13. Holland was at this time divided into two factions , the 
pensionary de Wit had caused William III. to be forma' ly 
excluded from the stadtholdership, but with a generosity of 
which history furnishes but few parallels, he had taken cave 
that the young prince should receive such an education as 
would be most likely to render him capable of serving the 
state in any department. William, who was afterwards the 
king of England, showed from his earliest youth proofs of the 
great talents which were destined to preserve the liberties of 
Europe ; but he was naturally ambitious to recover the dignity 
that had been transmitted to him by his ancestors, and was ani- 
. mated rather by a desire of revenge on de Wit than by love for 
his country. 14. Though the grand pensionary had raised the 
naval power of Holland to its highest summit, he left 
■i^-jA the country totally unprovided with land forces, deem- 
' ing an invasion so improbable, that it was not necessary 
to provide against it. Louis marched at the head of all his 
forces, accompanied by his most illustrious generals, against 
the httle repubhc. 15. He passed the Rhine almost without 
any difficulty, as the river was low and the opposite bank badly 
defended. But this trivial success was magnified by a host 
of poets and historians, who formed a regular corps of attend- 
ance, into one of the greatest exploits of ancient and modern 
times. The greater part of the provinces were subdued al- 
most without resistance ; the cannon of the invaders could be 
heard in Amsterdam, and flying parties of the enemy had ap- 
peared within sight of its gates. 16. Like the Phocceans in 
ancient history, the Dutch seriously deliberated on the project 
of flying in their fleet to the East Indies, and seeking Hberty 
in another country, leaving their own to Louis a useless desert. 
De Wit sent deputies to treat about a surrender, notwithstand- 
ing the opposition of the prince of Orange, who, with all the 
energies of youth and valour, insisted that they should defend 
themselves to the utmost extremity. 17. The intolerable con- 
ditions prescribed by Louis were fatal to de Wit; no sooner 
were they made known to the populace, than, maddened by 
indignation and despair, they fell on the grand pensionary and 
nis brother, and literally tore them to pieces. The young 
prince of Orange was created stadtholder, and invested with 
almost absolute authority. 18. His speech on the occasion 
was brief and characteristic — " I have a sure method," said 
he, "to prevent my being a witness of my country's ruin, I 
can die in her last ditch." The entire of the united provinces 



LOUI5 XIV. 305 

^-,nled to be animated by a similar spirit ; they cut the dikes 
vrrtich had been erected to keep out the sea, and thus laid the 
whole counlry under water. At sea, their navy, though op- 
posed to the combined fleets of England and France, by 
the valour and dexterity of Ruyter was able to prevent their 
enemies from becoming masters of that element. 19. The 
eyes of all Europe were opened to the dangerous ambition of 
Louis XIV. : Germany, Denmark, and Spain came forward 
to rescue the Hollanders, and the people of England loudly 
complained of the impolicy which had forced them into a war 
with a nation, the destruction of whose hberties would proba- 
bly have been fatal to their own. Charles 11. seeing the tem- 
per of the parUament, and having no hope of obtaining new 
subsidies, sold a peace to the Dutch for a bribe of three hun- 
dred thousand pounds. However, he still left a body of ten 
thousand troops at the disposal of Louis, but promised not to 
recruit their losses. 

20. Unable to retain the provinces, Louis was obliged to re- 
.ease them on the payment of a ransom, and the tide of war 
flowed to the Spanish Netherlands, which had been almost 
abandoned by the parent stale. The prince of Conde was 
opposed to the stadtholder, marechal Turenne found an anta- 
gonist worthy of him in Montecuculi the imperial general, and 
Louis himself headed the army that invaded Franche Comte. 
The bare enumeration of the battles fought in these campaigns 
would be sufficient to fill a volume ; Montecuculi and William 
in. were generals equal in ability to Conde and Turenne, they 
therefore checked the French in their career of conquest, with- 
out being able to obtain any very decisive advantage. Battles 
were fought, and an immensity of human blood spilled, but 
their only effect was to display the talents of the leaders and 
their utter disregard for waste of lives. 2L During these pro- 
tracted contests, Turenne sullied aU his former glory by an ac- 
tion of the most savage barbarity, which he perpetrated by 
order of his court. The elector palatine having deserted the 
cause of France, orders were given to lay waste his country ; 
the cruel edict was fearfully executed ; two cities and twenty- 
five villages were reduced to ashes, and their innocent inhabit- 
ants left to perish by cold and hunger! The unfortunate 
elector who witnessed the devastation from the walls of his 
palace at Manheim, sent to challenge Turenne to a persona, 
combat ; but the French general replied, that, " from the time 
he had been honoured with the command of the French forces, 
he never fought but at the head of twenty thousand men." 
536* U 



306 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

The military career of those leaders whose lenowi 
Ifljc^ filled Europe, terminated nearly at the same time. Tu 
renne was killed at the battle of Salzbach ; Conde, wh« 
succeeded him in opposing the imperialists, retired at the end 
of the campaign from public life, and his example was Allowed 
by Montecuculi, who was unwilling to hazard in a contest with 
younger men the reputation that he had previously acquired. 
De Ruyter, whose naval exploits had rivalled their fame, was 
killed in an engagement with a French fleet in the Mediterra- 
nean ; after having risen from an humble cabin boy, to be the 
best admiral in Europe. The war, however, was still pro- 
tracted, and France made considerable acquisitions in the Spa- 
nish Netherlands. 22. But the resources of all parties were 
exhausted, and by the mediation of the king of England, who 
had given his niece, Mary, in marriage to the prince of Orange, 
negociations for peace were opened at Nimeguen. Four days 
after the treaty was signed, the prince of Orange, who ardently 
desired to continue the war, attacked the French, under the 
duke of Luxemburg, nearMons, but, after an useless sacrifice 
of the lives of his soldiers, was compelled to retire. 

23. The Dutch, against whom the war had been 
.^*,ycj' begun, and whose very existence seemed at one time 
in danger, were restored to all their possessions at the 
conclusion ; the terms between the French and Germans were 
nearly the same as those of the treaty of Munster ; but Spain 
and Sweden, who had joined only as auxiliaries, were severely 
punished, the former was compelled to cede the greater part 
of the Netherlands to France, the latter was stripped of all 
her influence in the empire. 

24. Louis having dictated the terms of the peace of Nime- 
guen, became intoxicated with his successes, and, by his con- 
duct, provoked the hostility of the greater part of Europe. He 
seized on several dependencies of the neighbouring Germanic 
states, under the pretence that they belonged to Franche 
Comte: he compelled the free city of Strasburg to receive a 
French garrison : and though he retired from the siege of 
Luxemburg, when the empire was endangered by an invasion 
of the Turks, he returned to it again when the Mohammedans 
were driven out by the valiant king of Poland, John Sobieski. 
Spain and Austria, unable to resist his power, purchased peace 
again by making fresh concessions : but they retained a bitter 
sense of their degradation, and were resolved to seek the ear* 
liest opportunity of obtaining vengeance. Algiers was bomb* 
ftrded by the French, and the pirates forced to beg for mercy 



LOUIS XIV. 307 




John Sobieski. 



Senoa was similarly punished, and its magistrates compelled 
o make the most humiliating submissions to s'Jbre the republic 
'rom ruin. 25. But all these triumphs were more than coun- 
terbalanced by the ^eath of Colbert, whose labours to establish 
a good system of finance were less valuable than his success- 
ful efforts to prevent the renewal of religious persecutions. 

26. Colbert protected the Hugonots, from a convic- 
tion that they were as useful as the other subjects of the if^ac^ 
crown, and that a persecution would produce nothing 
but mischief; but by his death they were dehvered up to the 
chancellor le TelHer, and his son, the marquis de Louvois, two 
men whose maxim was that every thing civil and religious 
ehould be regulated according to the king's pleasure. In 1684, 
they sent troops into the districts inhabited by Protestants, and 
Louvois wrote, that it was his majesty'' s pleasure that all who 
did not conform to his religion should suffer the greatest se- 
verities. The soldiers sent to enforce this absurd and cruel 
declaration were principally cavalry, whence the persecution 
has been commonly called the dragonnade ; every cruelty 
that could be perpetrated by a licentious and rapacious soldiery 
was committed with impunity, and by an excess of cruelty i« 
was made a capital offence for Protestants to attempt making 
their escape out of the kingdom. 27. In the following year 



JjOS HISTORY OF FRiSfNCE. 

tne edict or Nantz, by which Henry IV. had esJabHshed live 
principles of religious libert}', was revoked, freedom of con- 
science was abolished, all the Hugonot churches were de- 
stroyed, deci'arations and decrees of councils followed one an- 
other in rapid succession to heighten their despair, and at 
length orders were issued to take away the children of Pro- 
testants from their parents and give them to the care of their 
Catholic relations. Notwithstanding all the precautions of 
Louis, nearly half a million of Protestants quitted France, 
carrying with them some wealth, but what was still more 
valuable, much industry and ingenuity, the true riches of a 
nation. England, Holland, and Germany gladly received 
these useful fugitives, who carried into other countries the 
knowledge of those manufactures which had been hitherto 
confined to France, and who diffused through all the Protestant 
nations of Europe an intense hatred of Louis, which the sub 
sequent wars gave them many opportunities of displaying. 

28. The prince of Orange, whom the French pretended to 
despise, was far their most formidable enemy ; the just repre- 
sentations that he made to the different European powers of 
the grasping ambition of Louis, had mainly contributed to the 
formation of the league of Augsburg, by which the confede- 
rates engaged to preserve the boundaries agreed on by the 
treaties of Munster and Nimeguen. Louis did not want this 
fresh provocation to stimulate him to war; he resolved to an- 
ticipate the designs of his enemies, and sent an army of a hun- 
dred thousand men under the command of the dauphin to 
invade the empire, which was filled with dismay. 29. Phi- 
hpsburg, Menlz, Spires, and several other important cities 
were taken, and the Palatinate was again cruelly given up 
to the flames. This little principality, which the industry and 
peaceable habits of its inhabitants had made the most thriving 
and happy state of Germany, was literally turned into a 
desert ; more than forty cities, and an infinite number of vil- 
lages, were reduced to ashes. But while Louis was thus 
engaged, events were taking place in England, which were 
Boon destined to make that nation the most determined and 
formidable of his enemies, by placing on its throne the prince 
of Orange, whose hatred of Louis seemed to be almost equally 
personal and political. 

30. The attacks which James IL had made on the 

-^oQ liberties and religion of the country, had made the 

' English nation weary of their sovereign, and induced 

them to apply to the prince of Orange. An expedition w;i& 



LOUIS XIV. 309 

prepared in the Dutch ports, and Louis, who had discovered 
its destination, sent intelligence to the besotted James, who 
treated it as chimerical. WiUiam III. landed in England, and 
in a very short time was joined by the whole nation. Deserted 
by his friends, and despised by his enemies, James fled to 
France, and the convention-parliament considering his flight 
as an abdication of the throne, eUcted William king of Great 
Britain. The greatest opposition to this signal revolution was 
made in Ireland, whither James proceeded from France ac- 
companied by some auxiliary troops. But misfortune still 
pursued tbe unhappy sovereign ; he was unable to reduce the 
town of Derry, which its inhabitants defended under the most 
discouraging circumstances. Soon after, William landed, and 
at the decisive battle of the Boyne James lost Ireland. The 
Irish, indeed, held out for some time longer, but at length a 
treaty was concluded at Limerick, by which that island be- 
came completely subject to Wilham. 

81. The war on the continent was on the whole 
favourable to the arms of France; the marechal de -i/^qo 
Luxembourg proved himself a pupil worthy of the 
great Conde and Turenne ; William was defeated by Luxem- 
bourg, and Namur was taken by Louis almost in sight of the 
hostile army. In Italy, the marechal Catinat successfully 
opposed prince Eugene, and Victor Amadeus, duke of Savoy ; 
de Lorges and de Noailles were equally fortunate in Spain 
and Germany. 82. But these advantages were counterbal- 
anced by the total defeat of the French fleet under Tourville, 
off Cape la Hogue. James II. beheld from a neighbouring 
eminence this calamity, by which all his hopes of being re- 
stored to the throne of his ancestors were for ever annihilated. 
It is said, that when he saw the English sailors boarding the 
enemy's ships with their acrv^tomed heroism, admiration of 
their valour overcame his remembrance of the cause in which 
they fought, and he exclaimed, "None but my brave English 
could have done this." 33. The war continued with very 
little advantage to either party ; men and money were lavishly 
wasted, and nothing gained. Mutual exhaustion made all 
heartily wish for peace, or rather a suspension of arms, for 
treaties were universally disregarded. Four treaties 
were concluded at Ryswick, a small village in Hoi- i Jny 
land, the conditions of which, notwithstanding all his 
victories, were very humiliating to Louis. He was compelled 
to restore all his conquests, and to resign those districts which 
be had seized on as appendages to Franche Comte. 



SIO HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

34. The people of France murmured at such a conclusion 
of a war which had gratified their national vanity by numer- 
ous triumphs. But many circumstances combined to make 
Louis wish for peace : his able minister, Louvois, and his bes* 
general, Luxembourg, were dead ; losses not easy to be sup- 
plied ; the finances were exhausted, the taxes, though severe 
on the people, were not very profitable to the king, and tne 
navy was beginning to fall into disorder. Besides, he saw 
that peace was necessary for maturing his designs on the 
Spanish succession ; an object which he nad so much at 
heart, that he not only acknowledged William's title to the 
throne of England, but even attempted to conciliate him by 
recret negociations. 



Questions. 

1. What determination did Louis adopt that surprised his cour- 

tiers 1 

2. Had he the support of good ministers? 

3. Did the other countries of Europe present so favourable an 

aspect ? 

4. What proofs of spirit and wisdom did the French govern- 

ment exhibit ? 

5. How was the war between England and Holland carried on 7 

6. Into what treaty, of which they were ashamed, did the em- 

peror and the French king enter? 

7. Had Louis any claims on Flanders? 

8. Did the French succeed in retaining possession of Flanders 7 

9. Against whom was Louis particularly irritated ? 

10. By what means was Charles II. induced to side against the 

Dutch ? 

11. Why was it unlikely that the other powers of Europe would 

interfere? 

12. What was the oretext for declaring war? 

13. Who were the leaders of the parties into which Holland waa 

divided / 

14. What error did de Wit commit? 

15. How did the invaders succeed ? 

16. What strange step did the Dutch meditate? 

17. How was de Wit treated ? 

18. What spirited declaration was made by the prince of Orange 1 

19. Did the other nations of Europe at length interfere? 

20. How was the war carried on in Flanders? 

21. Of what cruelty was Turenne guilty? 

22. How did the war terminate ? 

83. What nations suffered most in the end?. 



LOUIS XIV. 



311 



*4. Did Louis use his success with moderation ? 

25. What loss did France suffer in the midst of its triumphs? 

26. By whom was the persecution of the protestants renewed T 

27. What were the consequences of the revccation of the ediel 

of Nantz ? 

28. Did the war break out again ? 

29. Were the French generals guilty of any barbarous acdout 

30. Whai great revolution took place in England? 

31. Did the French obtain any advantages in this warl 

32. Where were they defeated ? 

33. How was the war concluded? 

34. What circumstances made Louis inclined to peaos t 




Fivaek PtMtUion. — Fifteenth Ctmxmf 



ai2 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Louis XIV., Madame de Maintenon, -and Philip, Duke of Orleans. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



LOUIS XIV.— THE WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION. 



Does he not mourn the valiant thousands slain— 

The heroes once the glory of the plain, 

Left in the conflict of the fatal day, 

Or the wolf's portion, or the vulture's prey ? 

Prior. 

1. The last male descendant of the emperoi 
1700 ^^^""'^^ ^' was Charles 11. , king of Spain, a monarcb 
equally weak in health and intellect. He was fast 
sinking into the grave, and as he had no children, the ques- 
tion of his succession was the chief object of speculation 
throughout Europe. The king of France and the emperor 
of Germany were both his cousins and his brothers-in-law; 
their claims to the inheritance were therefore nearly equal, 
but Louis, who in both ways had the advantage of seniority in 
the princesses from whom his right was derived, had formally 
resigned all his pretensions by the treaty of the Pyrennees. 
Before the inheritance was yet vacant, a treaty of partition 
was made for dividing the Spanish monarchy between the 



LOUIS XIV. 



313 



tonn of the claimants ; but the dying monarch, having heard 
of the circumstance, published a will in favour of his grand- 
nephew, the young prince of Bavaria. This prince dying 
almost immediately after at Brussels, a new treaty was formed; 
but the emperor, hoping to acquire the whole of the Spanish 
dominions for his son, refused his assent ; and thus by grasp- 
I ing at too much lost all. At first, Charles of Spain was so 
much enraged with Louis, that he acknowledged the arcn- 
duke as his successor; but the Austrians satisfied with this 
took no further pains to conciliate Charles, and by their con- 
tumelious behaviour disgusted a prince, who naturally expected 
the hveliest gratitude for so rich a bequest. The king's con- 
fessors, who were in the pay of France, took advantage of this 
to change his mind, and prevailed on him, a little before his 
death, finally to bequeath the whole Spanish monarchy to the 
duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. 

2. Such was the astonishment of all Europe at beholding a 
prince of the Bourbon family ascend the throne of Spain, that 
all the povversrexcept the empire remained for some time in 
perfect tranquillity. The duke of Anjou, under the name of 
Philip v., set out to take possession of the crown, and his 
grandfather said to him at parting, there are no more Pyren- 
nees. 3. In Italy the resistance to the will of Charles li. be- 
gan ; the imperial forces there were commanded by a general, 
whose fame soon began to rival that 
of the most illustrious warriors ; a na- 
tive of France, and its severest scourge. 
Prince Eugene was son of the count 
de Soissons and of madame Marcini, 
niece of cardinal Mazarin ; being 
slighted in his youth by the French 
court, he took an eternal farewell of 
his country, and went to serve the 
emperor against the Turks. His abil- 
ities accelerated his promotion, and 
though very young, he was entrusted 
with the command of the imperial 
forces in Italy, and opposed to the 
veteran Catenat. The French general, restramed by orders 
from his court, was unable to check the progress of prince 
Eugene; Villenois, a crafty courtier rather than a prudent 
general, was then sent to head the army, but he was totally 
defeated by the imperial generals at Chiari. 

4 The war was yet but a single spark, when Louis, by 
27 




Prince Eugene 



314 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

one imprudent step, kindled a general condagration. On tho 
death of James II. he proclaimed his son king of Great 
Britam, after having determined in council not to take tnis: 
dangerous step. The indignation of the people of England 
was the most violent imaginable. William, who had hitherto 
been thwarted by his parliament, found them ready to forward 
all his views, and the nation, which had been previously 
averse to a continental war, were eager to pun sh 5uch an 
outrageous insult. 5. But before William was able to take 
advantage of this favourable opportunity of accomplishing his 
favourite object, the humbling of the French power, he was 
unfortunately thrown from his horse, an accident which, 
, Jp.^' combined with his previous ill-heakh, proved faial. It 
'^' has been quaintly said, that he was king of Holland 
«nd Stadtholder of England, the parliament of the lacter coun 
try having always opposed his inclinations, except when 
animated by their national hatred against France. His highest 
character is, that he was the principal means of rescuing from 
ruin the religion and liberties both of England and Holland. 

6. The French court had hoped that the death of William 
would have separated England from the confederates, but the 
first step taken by Anne after her accession, was to renew the 
alliance with Holland and the empire. The command of the 
English and Dutch forces was given to the earl of Marl- 
borouah, whose abilities both as a general and as a statesmar 
have had but one parallel in English history. 7. While tho 
allies were under the direction of such leaders as Marlborough 
and prince Eugene, France had fallen into extraordinary 
decay; Louis, completely under the guidance of his mistress, 
Madame de Maintenon, had lost all the energy of charactei 
by which he had been formerly distinguished. The opera 
.ions of the war were decided in the cabinets, no discretion of 
availing themselves of circumstances was allowed to the gene 
rals, discipline was permitted to decay, and promotion was re 
gulated by court favour. 8. On the side of Flanders, the ear) 
of Marlborough was everywhere successful, but the junction 
of the elector of Bavaria with the French prevented the allies 
from obtaining any decisive advantage on the upper Rhine, 
where at first they had possessed a great superiority. 9. The 
French did not, however, profit much by their advantages? 
marechal Villars, whose valour and prudence principally con 
tributed to their success, was recalled, in consequence of a 
quarrel between him and the elector of Bavaria; tho generals 
sent >o replace him were of inferior abilities, and the war was 



LOUIS XIV 315 

permitted to linger. Viilars was sent to command against the 
protestants of the Cevennes, who, maddened by persecution, 
had taken up arms against their oppressors. These wild 
mountaineers derived so much courage from fanaticism, thai 
three marshals of France, and three royal armies, were sent 
against them before they were subdued. The emperor also 
was engaged in a religious war with his Hungarian subjects, 
whom a better system of government would have made his 
most faithful defenders. 

10. At length the doubts which hung over the final 
fortunes of the^war began to be dispelled, and Louis 1^04 
was destined to meet a succession of calamitous defeats, 
which effaced the memory of his former triumphs. The forces 
of the empire being hard pressed in Germany, Marlborough 
who had lately been elevated to a dukedom, by a brillian', 
series of manceuvres forced his way through the French lines 
near Donawert, and joined his forces with those of prince 
Eugene ; at the same time the elector of Bavaria was joined 
by the French marechals Tallard and Marsin. The forces of 
the allies amounted to about fifiy thousand men ; those of the 
elector exceeded sixty thousand. On the 18th of August, both 
armies came to an engagement near the villages of Hochslet 
and Blenheim. The left wing of the allies, under the com- 
mand of the duke of Marlborough, forded a marsh which had 
been deemed impracticable, and fell with so much fury on the 
wing commanded by marechal Tallard, that they broke their 
ranks irretrievably, and penetrated even to the centre. Tallard, 
who was short-sighted, threw himself into the midst of a hos- 
tile squadron by mistake, and remained a prisoner. In the 
meantime, Eugene, after being three times repulsed, forced the 
elector and Marsin to a retreat, which the advance of the vic- 
torious English turned into a complete rout. 11. They fled, 
leaving twelve thousand of their best troops shut up in the 
/illage of Blenheim, who were compelled to surrender with- 
cut firing a shot. The consequences of this briUiant victory, 
by which the French lost forty thousand men, were the cap- 
ture of several of the most important fortresses on the upper 
Rhine, the establishment of the complete superiority of the 
aUies in the Netherlands, and the total subjugation of Bavaria, 
whose elector, reduced to the condition of a fugitive, took re- 
fuge in Brussels. The capture of Gibraltar, and some 
other triumphs of less importance in Spain, completed ij^r^ 
the successes of the allies in this brilliant campaign. 
12. The following year produced no events of importance, 



316 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

either in Flanders or Germany; Marlborough was badly sup' 
ported by the imperialists, who, as usual, thought that the 
English should fight as well as pay all. But in Spain, the 
earl of Peterborough, who commanded the auxiliaries which 
had been sent to sustain the cause of Charles, subdued the 
whole province of Catalonia. During the winter, the duke 
of Marlborough successfully laboured to prevail on the states 
of Holland to lay aside their cautious policy of not risking an 
engagement ; and at the opening of the next campaign, he 

began to act with greater boldness than he had hitherto 
^'^' displayed. 13. On the 23d of May, was fought the 

decisive battle of Ramilies, in which the French lost 
twenty thousand men, and which was followed by the reduc- 
tion of Spanish Flanders. In Spain also, Phihp had been 
compelled to raise the siege of Barcelona, and subsequently 
to yield up the capital to his rival. 

14. But their successes in Italy were some consolation to 
the French for their defeats every where else. The duke de 
Vendome had completely defeated the imperialists, and the 
French possessed so decided a superiority, that they ventured 
to lay siege to Turin, Unfortunately for them, Vendome was 
recalled to take the command of the army in Flanders, and 
the conduct of the siege was intrusted nominally to the duke 
of Orleans, but in reality to the duke de Feuillade, a court 
favourite, totally destitute of all military experience. Prince 
Eugene set out to raise the siege, and after a brilliant march, 
in which his judicious movements were powerfully contrasted 
with the folly of his enemies, effected a junction with the duke 
of Savoy. The duke of Orleans then proposed that the siege 
should be broken up, and that they should march to meet the 
enemy ; but when the council were about to adopt this judi- 
cious measure, by which alone they could have any chance 
of success, Marsin produced a letter from the court ordering 
the army to remain in its entrenchments. On the 7th of Sep- 
tember, prince Eugene attacked the French lines, and in 
about two hours was every where successful ; the camp with 
all its equipage and munitions of war was taken ; the enemy 
fled in every direction, and the fugitives were severely harassed 
by the Piedmontese peasantry, who attacked them in their 
retreat and cut them off in the defiles of the mountains. 15. 
By this single defeat France lost the fruits of all her formei 
campaigns, and was not only deprived of all her conquests in 
Italy, but saw her southern frontier exposed to the enemy 



LOUIS XIV. 317 

16. The battle of Almanza revived a little the hopes 
»f France; the duke of Berwick, the natural son of ^^..j 
James 11., gained a complete victory over the allied 
forces commanded by lord Galway, afiei which the cause of 
Philip seemed gradually to gain ground ; but on the othei 
hand, the allies still retained their superiority in Flan- 
ders. 17. The dukes de Vendome and Burgundy i-^«o 
were defeated by Marlborough and prince Eugene at 
Oudenarde, after which the allies besieged and took Lille, 
whose possession seemed to open to them the road to Paris. 
The pope soon after deserted the French, whom he had 
hitherto supported, and acknowledged Charles's title to the 
throne of Spain. To so many losses the scourge of nature 
seemed to be added; prince after prince of the royal family 
fell victims to disease, so that Louis had reason to dread that 
he should be left without a successor; and to complete the 
whole, France was threatened with all the horrors of a severe 
famine. 

18. Under these circumstances, Louis solicited 
peace; conferences were opened at CJerlruydenbcrg, ^-^lA 
but the allies, intoxicated with success, insisted on con- 
ditions so very extravagant, that the negocialions were broken 
off. They had the cruelly to require that Louis should send 
an army to drive his grandson from the throne of S[)ain; the 
aged monarch replied to the insulting |)ro|)osal wiih becoming 
spirit : " If I n)ust continue the war," he said, " I shoula 
rather fight against my enemies than my children." The 
consequences of this inefTectual attempt were beneficial to 
Louis; his people, who had justly murmured against the 
calamities by which they were oppressed, now resolved to 
defend their monarch to the utmost, as he had done every 
thing consistent with national honour to afi!brd ihem relief. 

10. Two unexpected events changed the entire face 
of European politics. The emperor of Germany died, ^j,i 
and was succeeded by Charles, the nominal king of 
Spain ; this of course affected the original principles of the 
war, for the union of Spain and the empire would have been 
aa fatal to the balance of power as the joining of France and 
Spain. In England, the Whigs, who had so long supported 
the duke of Marlborough, were no longer in office, and their 
Tory successors, Harley and Bolingbroke, were anxious to ob 
tain a peace on any terms. 20. In his last campaign, the 
duke exhibited all the wisdom and skill by which he had been 
■G oftet^ distinguished; he forced the lines which Villars had 
27* 



318 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

declared impregnable, and captured Bouchain in the presence 
of the enemy's army, thus removing the principal obstacles 
between him and Paris. But at the end of the campaign, he 
was stripped of all his employments, and the command of the 
English forces was given to the duke of Ormond, with secret 
directions to do nothing. 

21. The conferences for the celebrated treaty of 
^y,A Utrecht began in January, but proceeded at first very 
■ slowly ; the Dutch and imperial ambassadors threw 
every obstacle in the way of accommodation, and the deaths 
of the dauphin, his wife and son, by opening to Philip the 
probable succession to the throne of France, created fresh dif- 
ficulties. At length Philip renounced his future claims in 
favour of his younger brother the duke of Berry ; as the Eng- 
lish and French were earnest in their desire of peace, they 
soon agreed on preliminaries, but the rest of the allies refused 
to concur. Deprived of the support of the English, the Dutch 
and imperialists still ventured on another campaign, but prince 
Eugene being totally defeated at Landrecy, and several of the 
towns captured by Marlborough having been retaken, Holland 
became alarmed, and concluded a treaty. The emperor held 
out a year longer, and lost several advantages by his obstinacy, 
until finding himself unable to continue the war alone, he was 
obliged to conclude a separate peace at Rastadt. The Catalans 
were the last who kept ahve the expiring flames of the war ; 
they refused to acknowledge Philip as their sovereign, and 
though deserted by every body, maintained a furious resist- 
ance. At length Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, was 
taken after a vigorous siege, the citizens deprived of their pri- 
vileges, and some of their leaders capitally punished. 

22. The treaty of Utrecht put an end to the long wars 
which the ambition of Louis XIV. had excited in Europe, 
and placed all the powers nearly on the same footing that they 
had been at the commencement. The English ministers whc 
concluded it were subsequently impeached, and narrowly 
escaped with their lives; it would be now useless to revive 
the discussion of a question by which England was once fear- 
fully agitated, but it may be remarked, that by that treaty 
England secured all the objects for which the war had been 
originally undertaken, though the motives and measures of 
Harlev ard Bohngbroke were any thing but honourable ana 
patriotic. 

23. Though Louis had the satisfaction of seeing a wal 
w hich threatened the entire ruin of France thus happily con 



LOUIS XIV. 319 

eluded, yet his situation at its close was the most miserable 
conceivable, all the national resources were exhausted, the 
manufactures were destroyed, and commerce was totally ex- 
tinct. The royal family had, as was already mentioned, been 
visited by an unusual mortality, and the next heir to the crown 
was the king's great-grandson, a weak and sickly infant. 24. 
Theological disputes distracted the court and the nation. A 
divine, named duesnel, had published a book, entitled "Re- 
flections upon the Old Testament." A hundred and one pro- 
positions extracted from this book by a bigoted fool, Le Tel- 
lier, the king's confessor, were condemned by the celebrated 
bull Unigenitus, issued by pope Clement XI. The disputes 
about th-e registration of this bull filled the whole kingdom, 
while its aged monarch, distracted by useless remorse, was fast 
drawing to the close of his miserable existence. 

25. At length, in the seventy-second year of his 
reign, he became sensible of the near approach of his ij^J 
dissolution : he sent for his successor, and gave him 
much good advice, which kings are always more ready to be- 
stow in the hour of death than to practise in their course of 
hfe. He made arrangements for the future regency by his 
will, and ordered that his natural children, whom he had le- 
gitimated, should be ranked among the blood royal of France, 
but these regulations were violated immediately after his de- 
cease. Having thus provided for all his worldly concerns, he 
received the last offices of the catholic church, and met the 
stroke of death with becoming resignation. 

26. The calamities experienced by the French in the latter 
part of this reign had so complately effaced the glories of its 
commencement, that the news of Louis's death was received 
with joy. Impartial posterity has, however, stripped his cha- 
racter of the flatteries which loaded it during his life, and the 
defamation heaped on it after his death. He was a monarch 
of a great mind and good intentions, but bad education spoiled 
the one, and artful courtiers depraved the other. He was a 
great encourager of literature and the arts, and his reign is de 
Bervedly esteemed the Augustan age of France. 



Questions. 



1. What was the origin of the war of the Spanish succession T 

2. How did Louis address his grandson at the parting? 

3. Who was prince Eugene ? 



320 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

4. How d)d Louis provoke the hostility of the English V 
6, What was the character of William III.? 

6. Who were the generals of the allies? 

7. Did the French government exhibit as much ability in thi* 

war as in the preceding? 

8. How did Marlborough succeed in Flanders? 

9. Did religious wars interfere with the operations of the belL 

gerent powers? 

10. How did the allies obtain the victory at Blenheim? 

11. What were the consequences of their success? 

12. How was the war carried on after this? 

13. Did Marlborough obtain any other victory? 

14. What great defeat did the French suffer in Italy? 

15. Was it attended by any important results? 

16. Did the French obtain any victory? 

17. By what calamities was Louis overtaken? 

18. What was the consequence of the conferences at Gertruyden- 

berg? 

19. By what circumstances was a total revolution in European 

politics brought about ? 

20. How did Marlborough behave in his last campaign? 

21. By what means was the treaty of Utrecht concluded? 

22. What was the character of the negociations ? 

23. To what calamities was France next exposed ? 

24. What caused disputes about religion to break oat? 

25. How did Louis die ? 

86. What was his character? 




Voltaire. 



LOUIS XV. 



321 




CHAPTER XXXIV. 

LOUIS XV. 

To swell some future tyrant's pride, 
Good Fleurjr pours the golden tide 

On Gallia's smiling shores ; 
Once more her fields shall thirst in vain 
For wholesome streams of honest gain, 

While rapine wastes her stores. 

Earl Nuoent. 

1. The new king of France was but five years oJd 
at the time of his accession, and the arrangement of 1^1 e 
th« regency, as usual, gave rise to much poUtical in- 
trigue. At length the parliament gave undivided power ts 
Philip, duke of Orleans, nephew to the late king, a man 01" 
great abilities, but of greater depravitj'', whose private life was 
stained with the practice of every species of debauchery. He 
had been unjustly suspected of having poisoned the three 
dauphins whose successive deaths have already been men 

V 



322 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

tioned, and it is probable, had Louis XIV. died a few 
years earlier, that the regency would never have been con- 
ferred on the duke of Orleans ; but the natural children of 
Louis were still more unpopular with the French ; and hatred 
of them made the nation more ready to submit to their rival. 
2. The first opposition made to the regent was by cardinal 
Alberoni, who then wielded the destinies of Spain. Alberoni 
was one of the greatest statesmen of the age, but he had one 
great fault which rendered all his talents useless ; he was too 
extravagant in his designs, and aimed at effecting great 
changes without calculating the means necessary for their 
execution. To place the Pretender on the throne of England, 
to wrest from the emperor what he had obtained in Italy by 
the treaty of Utrecht, to make the king of Spain regent of 
France, and acknowledged heir to the throne, were the daring 
enterprises contemplated by Alberoni. 3. His schemes were 
detected, and the parties whom he had endangered combined 
for their mutual protection. France, England, and Holland 
united to enforce the observance of the treaty of Utrecht ; they 
were soon after joined by the emperor, and the system of 
Alberoni was overturned by the quadruple alliance. Conspi- 
racies were vainly attempted both in France and England. 
The Spanish ambassador, the duchess of Maine, the cardinal 
de Polignac, and several others, joined in forming a scheme 
for carrying off the regent; but the papers were artfully 
stolen from a young Spanish abbe who was secretary to the 
embassy, and thus the whole plot was discovered. The am- 
bassador and his secretary were seized, several of the principal 
accomplices sent to the Bastille, and war declared against 
Spain. Thus France armed against the grandson of Louis 
XIV., whom she had elevated to a throne at the expense of 
ber own ruin. 

4. Happily the war was not of long continuance, 
j^,^ The Spanish fleet was defeated by admiral Byng, and 
■ twenty-three of their ships taken ; their forces in Sicily 
were defeated the following year by the imperialists, and the 
armament designed for the invasion of England dispersed by 
a storm. Spain itself was destined to feel the horrors of war; 
the English carried destruction into the port of Vigo, and the 
French having invaded the country, took several towns, de- 
stroyed some magazines, and burned sixteen ships of war 
which had been newly constructed. Philip, naturally 
j^on a weak monarch, was terrified at such a series of cala- 
mities ; he acceded to the quadruple alliance, and 



i.ouis XV. - 323 

Mnished Alberoni, whose removal was made an indispensable 
condition of peace. 

5. The wars of Louis XIV. had left the finances of France 
n a deplorable condition, and an attempt made to remedy the 
lisorder only completed their ruin. An exiled Scotchman, 
lamed Law, conceived the scheme of paying off the enormous 
lebt by an issue of paper money. The duke of Orleans, fond 
of novelty, adopted the plan, and a commercial company was 
formed, the profits of whose exclusive trade with Louisiana 
were to liquidate all the debts by which France was oppressed. 
The success of the Mississippi scheme, as it was called at first, 
equalled Law's expectations. The prices of shares in the 
company rapidly rose to an extravagant height, a blind in- 
satiable avarice induced people to strip themselves of their 
money to purchase notes, and to such a pitch was this carried, 
that the notes issued amounted to more than eighty times the 
current coin. The effect of such excessive issue was of course 
the depreciation of the notes; the bank became unable to 
meet the demands made upon it, and its entire credit vanished 
in an instant ; the notes became no better than waste paper, 
and numberless families were reduced to indigence. The 
regent for some time defended Law from the popular indigna- 
tion, but was eventually forced to yield to the voice of the na- 
tion. Law fled from France, scarcely carrying with him a 
sufficiency to support existence. 

6 The fortune of the cardinal Dubois was as extravagant, 
but more permanent, than that of Law. He was the son of 
an apothecary, and had come to Paris at a very early age. 
By a series of fortunate circumstances, he became private 
tutor to the future regent, and was the detestable cause of the 
debauchery by which that prince was dishonoured. By flat- 
tering the vanity and pandering to the passions of his former 
pupil, he obtained such an ascendancy over him, that he was 
appointed prime minister of France, and having taken holy 
orders, was raised to the dignity of cardinal. After his death, 
the duke of Orleans assumed the title of prime minister, be- 
cause the king was then of age. 7. But his riotous 
excesses hastened his dissolution ; he died a victim to 1^90 
m temperance, and was succeeded in the ministry by 
the duke de Bourbon-Conde. The character of the regent 
has been emphatically given in the following brief sentence 
by a modern writer — " He was a good ruler and a bad man." 

8. The only thing remarkable in the administration of 
Bourbon-Conde was his having negociateda marriage betweew 



324 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the \'*^ung monarch and Maria Seczinska, daughter of Stanis- 
.aus, the ex-king of Poland. 9. He was succeeded by Car- 
dinal Fleury, an old man of seventy-three, who had been 
introduced at court as preceptor to the king, and seldom has 
any country been blessed with a better minister. He was 
attentive to economy, studious of peace, amiable and gentle in 
his manners, just such a minister as suited a nation that 
required relief rather than splendour. 10. The repose 
fj^jA that Europe had enjoyed since the treaty of Utrecht 
furnishes few materials for history, but its tranquiUity 
was at length disturbed from a quarter in which it was least 
expected. On the death of Augustus, king of Poland, his old 
rival Stanislaus was elected to the vacant throne ; the emperor 
of Germany, in conjunction with Russia, caused this election 
to be set aside, and gave the crown to the son of the late 
monarch. Louis XV. felt himself bound in honour to espouse 
the cause of his father-in-law; but the succours given to Sta- 
nislaus amounted only to fifteen hundred men, and he was a 
second time expelled from the kingdom of Poland, which was 
every day becoming more and more a dependency of Russia. 
11. Though France did not act with much vigour in Poland, 
she compensated for her inactivity there by the vigour of her 
attacks on the Emperor. In two brilliant campaigns the 
Austrians were completely humbled in Italy ; the imperialists, 
though commanded by prince Eugene, were defeated on the 
Rhine ; and a Spanish army under Don Carlos conquered the 
entire kingdom of Naples. Defeated on all quarters, the Em- 
peror applied to the maritime powers, soliciting their media- 
tion, but the pacific disposition of cardinal Fleury rendered 
their intervention unnecessary. 12. By the treaty of peace, 
Spain acquired the kingdom of Naples for Don Carlos ; 
France obtained the provinces of Lorraine and Bar for Stanis 
laus, which, after his death, were to be for ever united with 
the French dominions; and the duke of Lorraine was no- 
minated successor to the grand duke of Tuscany, the last of 
the illustrious family of the Medicis. This was the second 
time that John Gaston, duke of Tuscany, had seen the in- 
heritance to his dominions arranged by foreign powers ; he 
made the insult the subject of a jest, humorously asking, "if 
they would not supply him with a third heir, and what child 
France and the empire would get for him ?" 

13. The reason why the Emperor so readily consented to 
the strengthening of France by the valuable acquisition of 
Lorraine, was his anxiety to obtain the guarantee of that 



LOUIS XV. 325 

power to the celebrated pragmatic sanction, an instrument to 
prevent the partitio i of the Austrian dominions in case of the 
failure of heirs male, and to secure the peaceable accession of 
his daughter Maria Theresa, who was married to Francis of 
Lorrame, the reigning duke of Tuscany. Almost all tha 
powers of Europe had signed the treaty to this efTect, but 
prince Eugene very wisely remarked, that "an army of one 
hundred men would guarantee it better than one hundred 
thousand treaties." 14. In fact, the Emperor was 
scarcely laid in his grave when a host of competitors ^JaA 
appeared to have claims for the succession. The king 
of Poland, the elector of Bavaria, and the kings of Spain and 
Sardinia, began to urge their pretensions, but did not imme- 
diately attempt to enforce them by arms. 15. The signal of 
universal war was given by a power which had not hitherto 
taken any leading part in the affairs of Europe, but which the 
abilities of its monarch was destined to place in the first rank 
of the continental nations. Frederic III., king of Prussia, was 
in the twenty-eighth year of his age, and possessed consider- 
able talents, which had been sharpened in the school of adver- 
sity. His father had treated him with the most unjustifiable 
severity, and would probably have taken his life had not the 
Emperor interfered ; but while detained in prison, he had 
recourse to the consolations of literature, and improved his 
mind while he lightened his captivity. But though he had 
no great reason to be pleased with the manner in which his 
father had treated him, he had every cause to be pleased with 
the conduct which made his kingdom a valuable inheritance ; 
Frederic II. left his son a rich treasury, and a well-disciplined 
army, valuable acquisitions to a young and ambitious monarch. 
16. Two months after the Emperor's death, Frederic appeared 
in Upper Silesia at the head of thirty thousand men, and re- 
vived some forgotten claims of his family to that province. 
His troops were better than his cause ; Silesia was conquered 
with little trouble, and Frederic, flushed with success, sent to 
Maria Theresa, offering to secure her in the rest of her do- 
minions, provided that she would concede to him the quiet 
possession of his recent conquest. The Empress indignantly 
rejected the offer, and though surrounded by enemies, spi- 
ritedly determined not to purchase a peace by the sacrifice of 
her rights. 

17. Cardinal Fleury in vain endeavoured to prevent 
France from being involved in this war, but the count, -ttyA\ 
afterwards duke de Belleisle, had sufficient influence 
548 



326 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

to procure the adoption of a contrary resolution. They thought 
that the favourable moment had arrived for executing the 
favourite project of Richelieu, the humiliation of the house of 
Austria, and acting on this design they induced the king ta 
violate the pragmatic sanction which had lately been con- 
firmed with so much solemnity. They determined to procure 
the imperial crown for the elector of Bavaria; a numerous 
army was raised, and that prince was by letters-patent created 
lieutenant-general of Louis XV. 18. The success of the 
French and Bavarians was at first complete ; they marched into 
Austria, captured Lentz, threatened Vienna with a siege, and 
then penetrating into Bohemia, took Prague by escalade. 
Maria Theresa was forced to become a fugitive, but her very 
misfortunes made her formidable ; she appeared before the 
states of Hungary bearing her infant son in her arms. The 
speech which she made in Latin to the assembly, drew tears 
from all her audience ; the spirit of that chivalrous nation was 
roused, and they all exclaimed with one accord, Moriamw 
pro rege nostra Maria Theresa ; " Let us die for our king^ 
Maria Theresa." The English people were enthusiastic in 
their admiration of the heroine. The duchess of Marlborough 
assembled the principal ladies of London, who engaged to 
raise for her 100,000/. sterUng, and the duchess herself sub 
scribed 40,000/. ; but the queen of Hungary had the magna- 
nimity to refuse the offer, declaring that she would receive no 
assistance except from the nation assembled in Parliament. 

19. But the faults of her enemies still more powerfully as- 
sisted the cause of the empress ; the marechals Belleisle and 
BrogHo were jealous of each other, the elector of Bavaria was 
totally destitute of military talents, and the cavalry especially 
was in a miserable state of inefficiency. The light troops ot 
the Austrians, Pandours, Croats and Hussars, harassed the 
scattered^ troops of the French and Bavarians; without a battle 
being fought they were stripped of all their conquests, and the 
new emperor being deprived even of his hereditary dominions, 
was obliged to become the pensioner of France. The king 
of Prussia made a treaty for himself, by which he secured the 
possession of Silesia ; and the marechal de Belleisle had only 
the honour of saving 13,000 men, the wreck of his great ami 
victorious army, by a brilliant retreat from the heart of Gei 
many to the banks of the Rhine. 

• The Hungarians used this form of speech in reference to tha'tf 
5ld constitution, which excluded females from the throne. 



Lou[s XV. 327 

20. The death of cardinal Fleury changed the mea- 



A, D. 



fares of the French government ; instead of acting any i^^q 
/onger as auxiliaries, they became principals in the 
war, and were imitated by the English, whom the Flanoverian 
possessions of George II. had unfortunately involved in con 
tinental politics. 21. They tried their strength at the battle 
of Dettingen, where George II. and his son, the duke of 
Cumberland, were present in person. The English were 
commanded by the earl of Stair, a pupil of the famous Marl- 
borough ; the marechal de Noailles, a cautious and a clever 
general, was at the head of the French. By the excellent 
arrangements of the marechal, the English were brought into 
a very difficult position, where they could neither advance 
nor retreat without being exposed to be attacked at serious 
disadvantage, their supplies were cut off, and the French were 
on the point of obtaining a victory almost without a battle, 
when the impetuosity of one of their generals disconcerted all 
their arrangements. He advanced to assail a British post 
through a dangerous defile ; while his troops were entangled 
there, the earl of Stair attacked them fiercely, a general en- 
gagement ensued, and the French, being unable to retrieve 
their error, were defeated. No advantage, however, was de- 
rived from this victory, the English having strangely neglected 
to pursue their success. 

22. Flanders next became the theatre of war, and Louis 
XV. took the field in person. He captured several towns, 
but was stopped in the midst of his career by receiving the 
disagreeable news that prince Charles of Lorraine had crossed 
the Rhine, and reduced the greater part of Alsace. Louis 
hastened to meet the Austrian forces, but before his arrival, 
they had been recalled to resist the progress of the king of 
Prussia, vi^ho, alarmed at the increasing power of Austria, had 
again taken up arms. While the war was carried on with 
doubtful success, the elector of Bavaria, whose mad ambition 
had caused it, died of a broken heart ; and his son entered 
into a treaty with the empress. 23. It might have been rea- 
sonably expected that this event would have induced all 
parties to seek for peace, but the French and English, ani- 
mated by national hatred, prevented the flames from being 
extinguished. In Flanders, marechal Saxe, natural son of the 
king of Poland, was placed at the head of the French forces, 
and the English had no general at all comparable to 
him in ability. The decisive battle of Fontenoy ef- -iJa^ 
faced the memory of Marlborough's triumphs ; the 



328 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

allies were totally defeated, and were not able in that or the two 
following campaigns to recover sufficient strength, so as to 
check the progress of the victorious general. 24. At sea the 

English were more successful ; two victories were 
1747 S^'"^*^ ^y admirals Anson and Hawke in the same 

year, which reduced the navy of France to a single 
ship. The allies, after many reverses, were also eventually 
victorious in Italy, from which they expelled the French and 
the Spaniards. 

25. The invasion of England by the young Pretender, who 
had made the government at one time tremble for its existence, 
was the principal cause of the disinclination to peace evinced 
by the British cabinet ; but the means of revenge were not at 
their command ; and when Marechal Saxe, by the capture of 

Maestricht, had opened the frontiers of Holland, it be- 
J^c came necessary to think seriously about a peace. 26. 

The preliminaries were settled at Aix la Chapelle the 
30th of April, and the definitive treaty was signed October 
18th. This treaty was a complete sarcasm on the folly of 
those who make either war or peace. The contest was com- 
menced with the design of dismembering the Austrian do- 
minions, and overturning the pragmatic sanction ; with the 
single exception of Silesia, Austria lost nothing, and the new 
arrangement of the succession was solemnly confirmed. 27. 
But the diplomatists who arranged the differences between 
England and France exhibited a still more ludicrous spectacle ; 
they cautiously omitted any mention of the many disputed 
joints between the two countries, and signed a treaty of peace 
replete with the elements of future war. 



Questions. 

1. Why was the duke of Orleans permitted to assume the r* 

gency without opposition ? 

2. What was the cliaracter, and what wore the designs af hit 

opponent, Alberoni ? 

3. How were Alberoni's schemes frustrated ? 

4. In what manner was the war terminated ? 

5. What was the history of the Mississippi scheme 7 

6. Who was the cardinal Dubois? 

7. What was the character of the Duke of Orleans? 

8. To whom was Louis XV. married? 

9. Vi iiat celebrated cardinal became prime minister? 
10. How was the repose of Europe disturbed 7 



LOUIS XV. 329 

\ 1. Did France interfere in the war ? 

12. On what conditions was peace again concluded? 

13. What was the pragmatic sanction? 

14. How was it violated ? 

15. What was the character of the king of Prussia? 

16. How did he begin the war? 

17. By whom were the French induced to involve themselves in 

this contest? 

18. What advantage did Maria Theresa derive from her mis- 

fortunes '! 

19. Did the French generals conduct the war with wisdom ? 

20. What nations from auxiliaries became principals in this con 

test? 

21. By what error of the French were the English enabled to win 

the battle of Dettingen? 

22. How was the war carried on in Flanders'^ 

23. What defeat did the English suifer ? 

24. Was this compensated by any successes? 

25. How were the English induced to agree to a peaoe ? 

26. Where was the treaty concluded ? 

17. What proof of wisdom was exhibited by the hegooiiito?* .' 




Marechal Saxe. 



ino 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Frederic the Great, 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



LOUIS XV. CONTINUED. 



Yet reason frowns on war's unequal game, 

Wliere wasted nations raise a single name ; 

And inortgag'd states their giandsires' wreaths regret, 

From age to age in everlasting debt. 

JOHKSOW. 

1. The wise negociators at Aix la Chapelle had m 
Y'rAQ serted in the treaty the following extraordinary clause ; 
' " all other matters shall be placed on the same footing 
that they were or ought to have been, before the commence- 
menc of the war." The English and French had never 
accurately nnarked the limits of their colonies in Asia and 
America, and when they came to determine what they ought- 
to have been, acts of violence, mutual recriminations and mani- 
estoes heralded a new war. The French complained that 
heir British neighbours encroached on Canada : their adver 



LOUIS XV. 331 

fanes retorted oy similar complaints ; both were mutuallj^ ex- 
asperated, until at length the British government, without 
.ssuing any formal declaration, caused the French fleet, bound 
to Canada, to be attacked, and Louis immediately took 
up arms. 2. Such was the beginning of the celebrated i-^rc 
seven years' war, a contest which produced events 
almost incredible, in which France sunk from the summit of 
glory to the depths of humiliation, at the very moment when 
her ultimate triumph seemed to be most secure. The most 
extraordinary feature of all was the alliance between France 
and Austria, nations that had been at war for nearly two cen- 
turies, and the junction of England with Prussia, powers that 
had hitherto shown great jealousy of each other. This change 
of alliances is said to have been effected by the marchioness 
de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV., who was gratified 
by the compliments of the crafty Maria Theresa, and enraged 
at the sarcasms which had been uttered against her by the 
king of Prussia. 

3. The commencement of the war was favourable to 
France ; the English received some severe checks in Canada; 
the island of Minorca, with the formidable fortress of Port 
Mahon, was wrested from them by the marechal Richelieu ; 
the duke of Cumberland was defeated in Germany, and 
obliged by a disgraceful convention at Closterseven, to capitulate 
with all his army, and yield up Hanover to the enemy. The 
king of Prussia, after having conquered Hanover and obtained 
a brilliant victory at Prague, was in his turn defeated by 
count Daun, and reduced to the brink of ruin. 4. But 
the battle of Rosbach, which Frederic gained over the ^.^W 
united forces of the French and Austrians, produced 
a change in affairs as great as it was unexpected. By the 
rapidity of movements which their superior discipline enabled 
the Prussians to execute with facility, the enemies' lines were 
thrown into irremediable confusion, and a decisive victory ob- 
tained almost without a battle. A second victory in the same 
year at Lissa restored him the possession of Silesia, and the 
English, notwithstanding the convention of Closterseven, drove 
the French from Hanover. A long series of battles followed 
in Germany, without producing any important consequences ; 
the French were forced to retreat at Crevelt, before the prince 
of Brunswick ; they were in their turn victorious at Bergen 
but were overthrown at Warsbourg and at Minden. 
The hereditary prince of Brunswick does not appear -ijrii 
10 have followed up his victories with sufficient prompt- 



532 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

itude ; he gave the enemy time to recover themselves, ano 
net with two severe checks, when at too late a period he at- 
tempted to extend his conquests. 

6. The king of Prussia, weakened b)'^ his very victories, 
seemed to be on the brink of destruction. Russia having 
united with Austria, the forces of the imperialists seemed on 
the point of overwhelming him, when he was saved by one 
of those unexpected events which baffle human calculation. 
Elizabeth, empress of Russia, died ; her successor, Peter III., 
was an enthusiastic admirer of Frederic, and not only broke 
off his alliance with Austria, but promised to assist the Prus- 
sian king with all his forces. This, which would probably 
have been the total ruin of the imperialists, was prevented by 
another revolution ; Peter was dethroned, and his wife Catha- 
rine, equally conspicuous for her talents and her crimes, as- 
sumed the Russian sceptre. Catharine resolved to preserve a 
rigid neutrality, and Frederic, who had maintained the same 
undaunted spirit during all these changes, was enabled to di- 
rect all his strength against the Austrians, over whom he ob- 
tained several advantages. 

7. But the principal calamities of the war fell on the fo- 
reign possessions of France. In India the English took Chan- 
denagore, Pondicherry, and all the principal settlements of 
their enemies in that quarter ; in Africa, the fort of Senegal 
and the island of Goree were captured ; and in America, Ca- 
nada was subdued by the heroic Wolfe, who died in the arms 

of victory ; and the greater part of the French West 
,^p-j* India islands were surrendered to the British. 8. 
Alarmed at the rapid increase of the English naval 
power, Spain, which had hitherto been neutral, concluded a 
strict aUiance with France by a treaty called the Family Com- 
pact; but it was only to participate in her calamities and dis- 
grace. The English rescued Portugal from menaced invasion, 
captured Cuba in the west, and the Philipine isles m the east, 
acquiring immense booty in both places, while their fleets 
everywhere ruled the sea, and totally destroyed the com 
1 Jy^.T merce of their enemies. 9. At length all parties be- 
gan to wish for peace ; it was concluded at Paris on 
terms the most favourable to England, as she retained the pos- 
session of almost all her colonial conquests. 

10. During this war France was distracted by disputes be- 
tween the clergy and the magistracy, which brought great dis- 
grace on religion, and facilitated at a subsequent period the 
spread of infidelity. The fanaticism excited by these disputes 



LOUIS XV. 333 

.nduced a youno[ enthusiast named Damien to attempt the 
King's hfe ; he did not succeed, and the manner of his execu- 
tion will be for ever a stain on the character of the French. A 
committee of physicians was appointed to determine what were 
'.he most painful tortures that could be inflicted without imme- 
diate loss of life ! Damien, whose insanity deserved to be 
pitied rather than punished, was subjected to all the torments 
suggested by these scientific barbarians, and finally torn to 
pieces by wild horses. 11. The Jesuits, who were supposed 
to have been the principal instigators of this assassin, as they 
probably were of a similar attempt made on the life of the 
king of Portugal, experienced the vengeance of the court. 
Their order was abolished in France, Spain, and Portugal, 
though no injury was done to their persons. The edict 
for their suppression was subsequently confirmed by a iyV'^' 
bull of Pope Clement XIV. It would not be consistent 
with the design of this work to examine into the truth or false- 
hood of the charges brought against the Jesuits ; but it is cer- 
tain that their dissolution was more the result of political in- 
trigue and private animosity than public justice. 

12. The supineness of the British government per- 
mitted the French to make a valuable acquisition in i-y'^c 
the Mediterranean. The island of Corsica, unable to 
support the domination of the Genoese, made a vigorous 
effort to establish its independence. At the head of the insur- 
gents was Paschal Paoli, who united to a patriotic spirit supe- 
rior military talents. The republic of Genoa, unable to main- 
tain their power, ceded the island to France; and the duke 
de Choiseul, who was then at the head of the French ministry, 
availed himself of this cession to seize on the island. Paoli 
made a gallant but unsuccessful resistance ; at length all hope 
was banished, and the gallant patriot, unwilling to witness the 
degradation of his country, became a voluntary exile, and re- 
tired to England, the common refuge, at that time, of the un- 
successful friends of the liberties of the human race. 

13. Soon after this, the duke de Choiseul was disgraced 
and banished, chiefly through the influence of madame du 
Barri, who had succeeded the marchioness de Pompadour, as 
mistress to the king. His dismissal was followed by a succes- 
sion of edicts depriving the parliaments of all the privileges 
they had previously enjoyed, and depriving the nation of the 
little remnant even of the forms of liberty which they had been 
hitherto permitted to enjoy. 



S34 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

14. The remainder of this reign is the most disofracefu. 
pan of the French history ; the excessive vice and riotous 
debauchery of the court was infamous and disgusting. The 
monarch set the example of every species of hcentiousness, 
and the courtiers emulated his infamy. AH parts of the ad- 
ministration were in the utmost disorder, the finances were 
exhausted, national credit gone, and public confidence ban- 
ished. The charitable donations given for the erection of hos- 
pitals were used to support luxury and extravagance. The 
money destined to redeem French captives from the Algerine 
pirates shared the same fate. All the offices of state, all ap 
pointments, civil, 'military, and ecclesiastic, were exposed for 
sale, and were, consequently, the prey of incompetent and 
rapacious characters. In a word, Louis XV. left to his suc- 
cessor a kingdom without money, without laws, and without 
morality. 

15. Louis died of the small-pox in the 64th year of 

-..^j^ his age, and the 59th of his reign. His character may 

■ be easily learned from his history ; if any thing more 

be wanting, it is sufficient to add that his death was deemed a 

national blessing, and filled France with universal joy. 

16. The progress of science and literature during this reign 
was very great ; but it was more than compensated by the 
rapid strides with which infidelity advanced through the upper 
and middle ranks of life. The school of French philosophy 
may be considered to have been founded by Voltaire and 
Rousseau, men of unquestionable talents, but whom foolish 
vanity had induced to reject Christianity, as a system thai 
fettered too much their mental independence. Their enmity 
to Christian truth had all the bitterness and all the virulence 
of personal hostility ; it seemed almost a species of madness, 
for they exhibited a zeal and eagerness in destroying the prin- 
ciples of belief which were perfectly astonishing. The moral 
degradation of the upper ranks contriibuted to their success : 
men who lived in the practice of every vice were eager to 
persuade themselves that their fears of future punishment 
were groundless. We cannot say with some writers that in- 
fidelity necessarily produces immorality, but we may reverse 
the proposition, and safely assert that immorality predisposes 
men to infidelity. To this fatal source may he traced many 
of the evils by which France was assailed in the next reign; 
if false philosophy did not generate the revolution, at least it 
aggravated its horrors and made its consequences fatal. 



LOUIS XV. 335 

17. Voltaire, whose name has obtained such a bad emi- 
nence, was a native of Paris. The celebrity of his early 
writing's induced Frederic, king of Prussia, to invite him to 
his court. Frederic was himself an author and a philosopher, 
and the vanity of both soon changed their friendship into vio- 
lent enmity. Voltaire's account of the quarrel is amusing 
enough : he tells us, " It was reported that I had said the 
place of king's atheist was vacant, and no notice was taken of 
the imputation ; but it was whispered that I had called the 
king a maker of bad verses, and my banishment followed as a 
matter of course." He retired to Ferney, near Geneva, where 
he died at an advanced acre. His writings are remarkable for 
their caustic satirical wit, and exquisite powers of ridicule, but 
it is melancholy to reflect that such talents were devoted to 
the worst of purposes. He was also an excellent dramatic 
poet, but hi's attempt at an epic poem is now generally ac- 
knowledged to be a failure. 

18. John James Rousseau was born at Geneva, of humble 
parents, and from his earliest years manifested a strong attach- 
ment to literature. His writings are remarkable for their en- 
ergetic eloquence, but unfortunately, also, for their pernicious 
tendency. He was, perhaps, the vainest man that ever ex- 
isted, and his self-conceit led him into so many absurdities, 
that we may almost describe him with one of his disciples as 
" an inspired idiot." Rousseau was for some time in England. 
where his eccentricities caused shame to his friends, but fur 
nished every boc'y else with infinite amiise'uent. 



Questions. 

' . What were tne causes of a new war ? 

2. Was there anything strange in the arrangement of the allies 

3. Did the English and Prussians experience any reverses? 

4. How was their fortune retrieved ? 

5. Did the allies obtain any other successes in Germany? 

6. Was the fortune of the war affected by the revolutions in 

Russia ? 

7. Where did the French experience their greatest losses? 

8. Did Spain gain any advantage by interfering in the war? 

9. On what conditions was peace concluded? 

10. By whom was the life of the French king attempted I 

11. Why was the order of the Jesuits abolished? 



336 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



12. What island did the French annex to their dominions? 

13. Did the king's mistresses interfere in the governrr:ent ? 

14. What was the general character of tlie rest of this reign f 

15. At what age did Louis die? 

IC Wliat circnmstances facilitated the progress of irifidelitj Is 

France ? 
17. Where did Voltaire chiefly reside? 
IS What was the character of Rousseau* 




KouMeaii. 



Lours XVI. 



337 




Louis XVI. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



LOUIS XVL 

And since the rabble now is ours, 
Keep the fools hot, preach dangers in their eacs; 
Spread false reports o' th' senate; working up 
Their madness to a fury quick and desp'rate; 
Till they run headlong into civil discords, 
And do our business with their own destruction. 



Otwat. 



1. Few monarchs ever ascended a throne under 
more favourable auspices than Louis XVI. He was ^'^ 
known to have disliked the vicious profligacy of his ^^^'*" 
grandfather's court; though scarcely twenty he had shown 
sonie capacity for conducting the business of the state ; anec- 
dotes of his generous and kindly disposition were circulated 
through Paris; finally, his marriage with Marie Antoinette 
seemed to secure external tranquillity, by unitino- France with 
29 W ° 



338 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



ihe empire. The first measures of the new reign were judi- 
cious and popular ; the administration of finance was entrusted 
to Turgot, a minister equally remarkable for his virtues and 
abilities ; other departments of the state were entrusted to 
Maurepas and Malesherbes, men who were animated by the 
soundest loyalty and purest patriotism. 2. But the nobility of 
France, and especially that part of it immediately connected 
with the court, had been too much demoralized during the lata 
reign to be pleased with virtuous measures that threatened to 
destroy corruption, and deprive them of the pensions w'hich 
they lavished in guilty indulgence. A resolution was taken 
to destroy Turgot, and an opportunity for effecting it was soon 
presented. 3. Louis XVI. had recalled the parliament which 
his grandfather had sent into exile, in spite of the remonstrances 
of Turgot, who saw that an institution combining judicial and 
legislative powers was likely to prove injurious ; the parlia- 
ments retained their indignation against the minister, and when 
he presented to them an edict for the abolition of corvees, com- 
pulsory labours that the tenants were obliged to perform for 
their landlords, they refused to enrol it, and were supported 
in their resistance by the whole body of the nobility. This 
ill-judged effort to preserve the most disgraceful and oppressive 
part of the feudal system was one principal reason of the in- 
veterate hatred to the aristocracy subsequently shown by the 

French people. The in- 
trigues of interested courtiers 
succeeded in procuring the 
dismissal of Turgot ; his 
place was supplied by Neck- 
er, a Swiss banker, more 
popular than Turgot, but fai 
inferior to him in ability. 
Necker was too much ad 
dieted to theory, and seemed 
totally devoid of practical 
wisdom ; his speculations on 
^''*^'^'^''- finance were ingenious and 

beautiful, but his measures were injurious. 

4. Great Britain, though everywhere successful at the en* 
of the seven years' war, was greatly exhausted l)y the con 
test; the ordinary revenue was found insufiicient to pay thi 
interest of the debt and the ordinary expenses of government 
some new resources were required, and in an evil hour it waj 
resolved to levy a tax on the British colonies in North America 




LOUIS XVI. 339 

fox, under the pretext that the war had been undertaken for 
the protection of their frontier, the ministry alleged that they 
should bear a proportionate share in liquidating its expenses. 
The Americans denied the right of the British parliament to 
levy taxes on them, as they sent no representatives thither; a 
brief war with the pen was followed by an appeal to the s\Vord ; 
the exasperation of both parties hourly augmented, until at 
length the congress of deputies from the several colonies, on 
the 4th of July 1776, formally threw off their allegiance to 
the British crown, and proclaimed themselves independent, 
under the title of the United States of America. 

5. The French court and people still smarted under the re- 
collection of the defeats and disgraces they had endured in the 
former war; every man in his senses was aware that they 
would seize the first opportunity of declaring' in favour of the 
Americans ; but the court of St. James's, shutting their eyes 
to the dangers by which it was threatened, took every method 
of widening the breach between Britain and its former sub- 
jects, nor was the delusion of the English ministry dispelled 
until the evil was irreparable. An alliance was entered 
into at Paris between France and the United States, to -ij-^a 
which Spain and Holland soon after acceded. 6. As 
this war belongs rather to the history of England than that of 
France, we shall only give a brief summary of the principal 
events. At sea, several indecisive actions were fought ; twenty 
naval engagements at least took place between the belligerent 
powers, but victory remained undetermined until the 12th of 
April 1782, when Admiral Rodney totally defeated Count de 
Grasse in the West Indies, and re-established the superiority 
of the British flag. In the East Indies the English were 
everywhere successful, and almost annihilated the power of 
their enemies in that quarter, but on the other hand the French 
subdued several of the West Indian islands, and the Spaniards 
conquered Florida. The Dutch suffered most severely, having 
been deprived of almost all their colonies by the British. In 
Europe, the French and Spaniards subdued Minorca, but were 
defeated at the siege of Gibraltar, by the gallant general E: 
liot. 7. In North America, the war was carried on for some 
time with various success, until at length the whole British 
army, commanded by the marquis Cornwallis, was forced to 
surrender aimost at discretion to the united forces of the French 
and Americans, commanded by the marquis de la Fayette and 
general Washington. When the news of this event reached 
^""ngknd, every person in the country saw that the further 



340 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

prosecution of the war was hopeless. A new ministry ao 
knowledged the independence of the United States. 

I Jo.j and entered into negociations with France. 8. A peace 
was concluded under the auspices of Josej)h [I., em- 
peror of Germany, and the empress of Russia, who acted as 
mediators ; and England obtained more favourable terms than 
could reasonably have been expected after the number of re- 
verses she had experienced. 

9. To support the expenses of this war, Necker had re- 
course to loans, a fatal system, which only deferred the evil to 
return with accumulated violence at a future period ; after his 
dismissal, Fleury, Ormesson, and Calonne pursued the same 
improvident career, until at length the clamours of the people 
oppressed by taxation, and the fears of the state-creditors thai 
a national bankruptcy would reduce them to poverty, brought 
the country into the most deplorable condition. At the same 
time, the army who had fought for the freedom of America 
brought home with them some of that attachment to hberty 
which they had imbibed from their allies ; and the aspirations 
for a free constitution, so new to the French, were strengthened 
when they looked across the channel, and saw England, not- 
withstanding all her reverses, enjoying comparative happiness 
and tranquillity. 10. Calonne saw that unless all parties in 
the state combined to support their relative shares of the public 
burdens, ruin was inevitable ; he therefore resolved to propose 
that the nobility and clergy should resign, or at least suspend, 
those privileges by which they were exempted from 

, J07 taxation. For this purpose he convened an assembly 
* of the notables at Versailles, and though they were the 
persons whose interests were most affected, Calonne would 
probably have secured the adoption of his plan, but for the in- 
trigues of De Brienne, who aspired to the post of prime min- 
ister. 11. After a long struggle between justice and privilege, 
the latter prevailed, Calonne was dismissed, and after a brief 
interval succeeded by Brienne, whose first act was to dismiss 
the notables. The only resource now left for raising money, 
was by issuing royal edicts, but the parliament refused them 
registration. The new minister seemed to have chosen Riche- 
lieu for his model, regardless of the far different circumstances 
in which the government was placed ; he procured the exile 
of the parliament to Troyes, whence, after a few weeks 

,~oq they were recalled, more refractory than ever. The 

' minister next resolved to shelter himself under the 

king's authority ; at a royal sitting, Louis ordered severaJ 



LOUIS XVI. 341 

^T■.anclal edicts to be registered in his presence. 12. Theduko 
of Orleans, who had lately placed himself at the head of the 
popular party, more through personal hatred of the queen 
than any regard for the public interest, had the courage pub- 
licly to protest against the registration, for which he was exiled 
.0 his country seat. At length Brienne, after having retained 
the post of minister only eighteen months, during which period, 
however, he had done more real injury to the state than any 
of his predecessors, became terrified at the dangers by which 
he was surrounded, and resigned his situation ; he soon after 
died in retirement, overwhelmed by shame and disappointment. 

13. Necker was recalled to the ministry, and as he attri- 
buted his former dismissal to the influence of the aristocracy 
and the clergy, he resolved to strengthen himself by an alli- 
\nce with Vne popular party, and for this purpose prevailed 
on the king to convoke the states-general. A convention of 
.he notables was summoned to decide on the necessary preli- 
.minaries for this national convocation. There were two great 
questions to be decided — whether the deputies of the commons 
"should be equal in number to those of the nobility severally or 
collectively? and whether the states should meet in separate 
chambers or in one general assembly ? The first point was 
decided in favour of the popular party ; the latter, and in- 
finitely the more important question, was left to the decision 
of the states-general themselves. Such an assembly had not 
been convoked since 1614; at no time does their constitution 
appear to have been fixed and determinate ; the summoning 
them was therefore looked on as a boon to the nation, and any 
prudent conditions affixed to their meeting would have met 
with universal acquiescence ; but the foolish precipitancy of 
Necker caused this golden opportunity to be neglected, and 
the consequences were fatal. 

14. The assembly of the states-general took place at 
Versailles on 1e 5th of May; the session was opened i-^jiq 
by the kinp; a a brief but patriotic speech, Necker 
presented b"j financial report, and every thing seemed to pro- 
mise p^.i^^e and tranquillity. But these appearances were 
delusive ; the representatives of the commons soon perceiveG 
their superior strength, and at once insisted that the states-gen- 
eral should form but one body. The clergy and the nobility 
protested against this claim, by which they foresaw that theii 
privileges vi'ould be annihilated ; they were supported by the 
court, but they were betrayed by a large portion of both theii 
own orders. 15. The inferior clergy were disgusted with the 
29* 



Si2 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




The States-General. 



haughtiness and power of the prelates : they were, besides, 
united to the coramons by the prejudices of birth and educa' 
lion ; a considerable body of the nobility, headed by the duke 
of Orleans, privately encouraged the popular party to persist 
in their claims, promising to unite with them on the first op- 
portunity. Thus supported, the deputies of the commons 
passed a decree, by which they declared themselves the iVa- 
tional Assembly. The court rashly attempted, by a demon- 
stration of violence, to compel the deputies to alter their reso- 
lution, but the firmness of the popular leaders was not to be 
shaken ; they declared that they would remain in the assembly 
until they were expelled by actual force. The junction of a 
majority of the clergy and a large minority of the nobles with 
the third estate, completed the defeat of the court, and Louis, 
to prevent greater calamities, wrote, himself, to the remaining 
portions of the privileged orders, advising them to unite with the 
national assembly. 16. The courtiers of Louis XVI., more eager 
to preserve their pensions and privileges than their country or 
their monarch, hurried the monarch into acts of indiscrefion 



LOUIS XVI. 343 

which stilj more increased the popular excitement. A large 
army was collected between Paris and Versailles ; Necker, 
whom the court justly looked on as the cause of all their diffi- 
culties, was dismissed ; a report was spread that the national 
assembly would be dissolved, and some of the leading popular 
deputies capitally punished for high treason. In this stale of 
things, it required the most extreme caution on the part of the 
royalists to prevent the people from breaking out into open 
rebellion ; but, unfortunately, the nobilily of France had been 
too long accustomed to look upon the commonalty as an infe- 
rior order of beings, whom the first appearance of a mihtary 
force would terrify into submission. While an unarmed mob 
were bearing in procession the images of Necker and the duke 
of Orleans, they were imprudently attacked by a party of royal 
dragoons, and the busts broken. The citv at once rose as one 
man; the citizens formed themselves into a military body, 
under the title of the national guard ; they seized on all the 
arms in the gun-smiths' shops, and took possession of several 
pieces of cannon and thirty thousand stand of arms, which 
were kept at the hospital of the invalids. 

17. The 14th of July is usually esteemed the date 
of the commencement of the revolution. On that day -i^qq 
the memorable capture of the Bastille took place. The 
governor, de Launay, anticipating an attack, had made every 
possible preparation for defence; the store of ammunition was 
increased, the garrison were all at their posts, but the assault 
against which they had to defend themselves was that of the 
whole population of Paris. The plan of attack was formed 
on the evening of the 13th, but all plans were superseded by 
the fury of the populace. Early on the morning of the 14th, 
groups of armed men were seen forming in the vicinity of the 
fortress ; the governor ordered the cannon to be turned on the 
capital, but was prevailed upon to remove them, as they only 
served to increase the fury of the people. Shortly afterwards, 
a deputation from the commune of Paris, headed by the pop- 
ular leaders, arrived, and demanded a conference with the 
governor. The draw-bridge was lowered for their admission, 
but they had scarcely entered the first court when they were 
followed by a multitude demanding arms and ammunition. 
On seeing this, the governor ordered the bridge to be raised, 
and directed the garrison to fire upon the intruders. The 
shrieks of the wounded and dying; the confused cries of" as' 
eassination ! treason !" redoubled the rage of the assailants. 
Two men, lowering thf.nselves from a guard-house, got be- 



344 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

yond the bridge and broke its chains with an axe, under a 
heavy fire of musketry. The garrison still kept the assailants 
in check, biU the arrival of a detachment of grenadiers, with 
some pieces of cannon, gave fresh energy to the besiegers. 
Heaps of straw were set on fire beneath the walls to conceal 
their movements, while a heavy fire from the neighbouring 
houses nearly drove the besieged from the ramparts. 




The Bastille. 

The governor, in despair, resolved to blow up the fortress, 
but was prevented ; he solicited a barrel of gunpowder for his 
own destruction, but this also was denied ; and at length a 
white flag was hoisted on the battlements, and the garrison 
capitulated. The invahds laid down their arms, and a de 
tachment was ordered to escort the governor to the Hotel de 
Ville as a place of safety, but, just as he reached the steps of 
the building, he fell a victim to the fury of the populace ; his 
head, and that of the second in command, were borne on pikes 
.« a triumphant procession through the streets of Paris. 

18. The two parties into which France was divided were 
now fairly at issue, the nobility attached to the court, and the 
feudal lords of the country, were determined at all hazards to 
retain their privileges ; the middle and lower ranks of hfe 
were determined to preserve the advantage they had acquired 
Dver an aristocracy that had abused its powers. The king, 
placed between both, had not sufficient energy to adhere firmly 



LOUIS XVI. 345 

to either; early associations, the arts of the courtiers, and the 
influence of the queen, led him to check the rising power of 
the comnaons by measures both injudicious and intemperate ; 
while a dread of popular violence and a noble dislike to the 
shedding of blood, induced him to retrace his steps at the firs* 
appearance of determined resistance. This vacillating policy, 
at all time* dangerous, was, under the circumstances of France 
at the period, certain destruction. 19. On the 4th of August 
M. de Noailles and M. d'Aiguillon, both members of the no- 
bility, endeavoured to conciliate the people by a noble sacri- 
fice. They proposed that all the privileges belonging to theii 
order should be abolished, and that all remaining traces of the 
feudal system should be abolished in France. The greater 
part of the nobility and clergy supported the proposition with 
zeal, and it was strange to see the enthusiasm with which the 
different privileged orders hastened to resign all the peculiar 
distinctions which had hitherto distinguished their rank in the 
state. But this sacrifice was made in vain ; the popular party 
looked on it as a boon extracted by terror, and the provincial 
nobility, a body remarkable for pride, poverty, and ignorance, 
saw themselves degraded below the class of merchants and 
traders, whom they had previously been accustomed to de- 
spise. 

20. The very rapidity with which they had obtained their 
liberty unfitted the French nation for its enjoyment, and made 
them jealous of its security. Suspicions were naturally enter- 
tained of the sincerity of the court, and though they were par- 
tially dispelled by the king's judicious visit to Paris, they broke 
out with new violence in consequence of the queen's indiscre- 
tion. At a dinner given by the soldiers of one regiment to 
the officers of another, Marie Antoinette made her appearance 
with the dauphin in her arms, probably in imitation of her 
mother's appeal to the states of Hungary. She was received 
with enthusiasm ; the king was persuaded to enter, and several 
royalist toasts were drunk in his presence. The wine flowed 
freely, and under its influence many of the officers, who were 
chiefly young nobles, gave vent to sentiments which were ad- 
verse to the rising liberties of the nation. 21. An exaggerated 
narrative of these ridiculous orgies was spread through Paris, 
the dread of a counter-revolution became general, and the na- 
tiona guard, now organised into a regular army under the 
command of La Fayette, prepared to defend their liberty, 
which they believed to be threatened. On the 5th of October 
the sound of the tocsin alarmed Paris, the people assembled m 



346 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

tumultuous groups, and a resolution was taken to bring the 
king by force to the capital. A multitude of both sexes set 
out for Versailles ; the women to make a representation to the 
king of the famine which prevailed in Paris ; the men to be 
revenged on the royal guards for an insult said to have been 
offered to the national cockade. These were followed by the 
national guard under the command of La Fayette, whose pro- 
fessed design AA'as to request of the king to come witn them to 
Paris, but they were silent as to their intentions in case of a 
refusal, 22. On the morning of the sixth, the palace was at- 
tacked by a fierce mob, several of the royal guards murdered, 
the queen obliged to fly half naked to the king's apartments, 
and the whole royal family on the very brink of being mur- 
dered. At this moment La Fayette appeared, but found that he 
had overrated his influence; nothing would satisfy the mob 
but the king's immediately setting out for Paris, and with a 
heavy heart he found himself forced to obey. Nothing can 
be conceived more humiliating than this journey, which lasted 
six hours, though the distance is but twelve miles; the royal 
carriages were surrounded by an infuriate mob, red with 
slaughter and maddened with success ; the heads of the mur- 
dered soldiers who had fallen victims to their loyalty were 
borne on pikes, and even held before the windows of the king'a 
coach with cruel insult. The king was lodged in the Tuil- 
leries, the city was brilliantly illuminated, and the Parisians 
spent the night in extravagant joy. The national assembly 
followed the king, and for the future held their sittings in Paris. 



Questions. 

1. Why was Louis XVI. popular at his accession ? 

2. Did the aristocracy of France show any sympathy with tha 

people? 

3. By whose intrigue was Turgot removed from the ministry? 

4. Why did the states of America revolt against England ? 

5. Did France join in the war? 

6. What are the most important events that occurred in the con- 

test? 

7. By what event was it decided ? 

8. By whose mediation was peace concluded? 

9. In what state were the French finances at the conclusion M 

the war ? 

10. How did Calonne endeavoirr to remedy these evils 1 

11. What means were pursued by the Brienne? 



LOUIS XVI. 



347 



12. Why did he resign office? 

13. What fatal error did Necker commit? 

14. On what important question were the three parts of the states 

general divided ? 

15. From what circumstances was the decision in favour of th"' 

third estate ? 

16. By wliat imprudent proceedings were the people provoked 

to an insurrection ? 

17. What remarkable circumstances occurred at the storming of 

the Bastille? 

18. What was now the state of parties in France? 

19. The patriotic sacrifices of the nobility produced no beneficial 

efl'ect — why ? 
90. Did aP7 imprudence on the part of the queen inspire popular 

<il«trust ? 
31. What ill effects followed from the spread of this news through 

Paris? 
k3 In what manner did the king proceed to his capitzi^ t 




Prince of Conda. 



b4S 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




I 



Robespierre and Oantoii. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

LOUIS XVI, IN CONTINUATION. 

The senate weak, divided and irresolute, 
Want power to succour the afflicted state ; 
Vainly in words and long debate they're wise, 
While the fierce factions scorn their peaceful orders, 
And drown the voice of law in noise and anarchy. 

RowK. 

1. The king of France was now a prisoner in his 
,-,Qq own capital, and had no other choice but to assent to 
* the changes proposed by the national assembly or 
resign his crown. The first and most important of the pro- 
posed alterations was the confiscation of the church property, 
which was ordered to be sold for the advantage of the nation, 
but at the same time it was agreed that a sufficient portion of 
the revenue should be applied to the maintenance of the 
clergy, and other ecclesiastical purposes. On the same day 
that this decree was passed, another law was enacted, sweep- 
ing away all distinctions of rank whatever, coats of arms, litlps 
of honour, &c. ; Necker had the courage to oppose the latter 
decree, but his resistance was vain, and finding his popularity 



LOUIS XVI. 349 

an the wane, he had the good sense to withdrav? fnm public 
life, and spend the remainder of his days in literary retirement. 
2. The character of Necker has suffered equally from his 
friends and enemies, the injudicious and unmerited praises 
bestowed on him by the former, have induced the world to 
lend a more ready ear to the calumnies of the latter; his in- 
tentions appear to have been always honest, but he had not 
sufficient firmness to put them into execution ; his abihties as 
a financier would have made him a valuable auxiliary to a 
clever statesman, but his want of political wisdom unfitted 
him for the situation of premier, especially in such a troublous 
period as the reign of Ijouis XVI. 

3. The greater part of the nobility and the royal 
family had emigrated, and formed a small army on the iJq^ 
frontiers. They declared that the king being under 
duresse,* no act of his would be valid. The king perceiving 
the dangers to which he was exposed by such injudicious 
conduct on the part of his friends, went voluntarily to the 
national assembly, took an oath of fidelity to the new constitu- 
tion, and repeated it afterwards at a solemn act of federation 
held in the Champ de Mars. This was a very imposing 
spectacle, but it was merely a spectacle ; the revolutionists, or 
at least a large portion of them, seem now to have resolved on 
the establishment of a republic, while the friends of the old 
regime contemplated nothing less than the establishment of 
the ancient despotism. The monarchs of Europe, who at first 
looked on with apathy, began to take a lively interest in the 
affairs of France, especially the court of Austria, so nearly 
connected with the hapless Marie Antoinette. All these circum- 
stances made the friends of the revolution look with a suspi- 
cious eye on their monarch, while the indignities to which he 
was daily subjected, naturally disgusted him with the freedom 
which repaid all his sacrifices with sufferings and with sorrow 

4. The prince of Conde assumed the command of 

the little army of emigrants, too small to produce any i-vqi' 
impression on France, but sufficiently numerous to in- 
spire a vindictive jealousy, which was visited on the head of 
the unfortunate monarch. The only persons of the royal 
family now remaining in France were the king and queen 
with their children ; monsieur, the king's brother, and his wife, 
madame ; and the princess Elizabeth, the king's sister. Worn 
out by the persecutions to which they were exposed, they me- 

* Duresse, a force that prevents the exercise of the will. 

30 



350 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

dilated their escape to the frontiers, an attempt in which Mon- 
sieur and Madanae fortunately succeeded. 5. A strange fataUty 
seems to have disconcerted every arrangement made for the 
rescue of Louis XVI. Never was tliere a plan better formed, 
nor with greater chances of success than that for the escape 
of the king ; passports were procured for the royal family 
under fictitious names, a body of faithful troops were ready to 
meet them at the pont de Sommerville, and the army at Lon- 
guy, under the command of M. de Bouille, was ready to re 
store the falling throne. But an accidental delay ruined every 
thing, the escort having waited long beyond the appointed time, 
rode off from the place of rendezvous, the king having impru- 
dently put his head out of the coach-window was recognized 
by Drouet, son to the postmaster of Varennes ; the escort com- 
ing up too late found that they could not advance farther with- 
out a fierce struggle ; and Louis, ever desirous to prevent the ef- 
fusion of blood, surrendered himself a prisoner. He was brought 
back to Paris by a tumultuous mob, and detained in honourable 
captivity at the palace of the Tuilleries. 6. The emigration 
continually augmented ; the nobility with their dependants 
flocked to Coblentz, and scarcely disguised their intention of 
checking the progress of the revolution by force of arms. The 
national assembly having completed their projected outline of 
a constitution, presented it to the king for acceptance ; the 
monarch publicly swore to its observance, and the event was 
celebrated by a pubHc fete in the Champ de Mars. 

^ 7. The national assembly having, as they fondly supposed, 
placed the liberty and tranquillity of France on a sure basis, 
dissolved themselves, after having declared themselves nica- 
pable of being elected members of the legislative assembly 
by which they were succeeded. This exclusion of all who 
might have learned wisdom from experience was a fatal mea- 
sure ; the legislative assembly, consisting principally of men 
chiefly remarkable for violence and enthusiasm, soon gave the 
most lamentable proofs of their utter unfitness for managing 
the affairs of the nation. The most violent decrees 

l7Qo' ^^^'"'^ issued against the emigrants, and at length war 
was declared against the emperor of Austria for having 
j^iven them his protection. Every thing seemed to threaten 
the speedy downfall of the monarchy, and the injudicious con- 
duct of the king's friends hastened the fatal consummation. 

8. The duke of Brunswick having been appointed to thfi 
command of the allied army of Austrians, Prussians, and emi 
grants, issued a proclamation at Coblentz, couched in langua^a 



LOUIS XVI. 351 

A\e most calculated to provoke the determihed resistance of an 
independent nation. He denounced military execution against 
ail who, in the slightest degree, supported the revolution, and 
insisted on the complete restoration of the former despotism, 
under the pain of giving Paris up to be plundered, and punish- 
ing as rebels all those who made any resistance. 9. The effect 
of this intemperate and ill-timed effusion on a people so re- 
markable for their national vanity as the French, may easily 
be conjectured ; all who had hitherto wavered became violent 
revolutionists, and those who had been previously mchned to 
preserve some share of power to the king, threw themselves 
into the ranks of his enemies. 10. On the 20th of June an 
infuriate mob made an attack upon the palace, subjected the 
unfortunate king to the most cruel insults, and retired after 
having degraded royalty by forcing the king to wear, instead 
of a diadem, a red cap, which was the signal of revolt. 11. 
But this was merely preparatory to the fearful tragedy of the 
10th of August. At half-past ten o'clock on the morning of 
that day, the populace collected in vast multitudes around the 
palace. The legislative body assembled on the report of a 
general insurrection, and the king having received an oath from 
the Swiss and part of the national guard, that they would de- 
fend his person and family, took shelter with the queen and 
his children in the hall of the national assembly. Soon after, 
the mob attempted to force an entrance into the palace, and the 
Swisy at length, compelled to fire, forced them back with the 
loss of two hundred men. A furious battle ensued, but the 
violence of the multitude forced through every obstacle. The 
palace was carried by storm, its brave defenders were massa- 
cred without mercy, the halls streamed with blood, the stair- 
case was piled with the mangled bodies of the slain. Sixty 
of the Swiss guard, arrested in various places, were dragged 
to the Place de Greve and executed ; those who attempted to 
escape were pursued and murdered in the Champs Elysees, or 
upon the banks of the river. 12. On the 14th of the same 
month, the royal family were sent as prisoners to the old palace 
of the Temple, a gloomy and melancholy place, which seemed 
but too well suited to their altered fortunes. 13. The victo- 
ries of the duke of Brunswick made the Parisians tremble for 
their capital, and the populace were stimulated to fresh ex- 
cesses by the Jacobin party, as it has been usually called, at 
the head of which were Danton and Robespierre, men of the 
most daring and sanguinary character. On the second of 
S-fiptember, about three in the afternoon, the mob assembled 



352 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

under these ferocious leaders, and resolved to murder all tht 
prisoners who had been arrested on suspicion of being disin- 
clined to the revolution. The scene that followed is inde 
scribable, the assassins massacred all without distinction of sex 
or age, the innocent and the guilty fell indiscriminately, and 
ihe blood of the victims for six days flowed in an uninterrupted 
torrent through the streets of the city. No obstacle to the car- 
nage was offered by the government, the murderers were paid 
a daily salary from the public funds, and the Jacobins cele- 
brated this horrid tragedy as a splendid victory. 

14. In the midst of all these horrors, the legislative assem- 
bly terminated its labours, and was succeeded by the national 
convention. The greater part of the members were returned 
by the influence of the Jacobin party, and were firmly resolved 
on the deposition and trial of the king. On the very second 
day of their meeting they voted for the abolition of royalty in 
France, and so far did the rage of republicanism extend, that 
the ordinary appellations o^ Monsieia' and Madame were pro- 
hibited, and the appellation of citizen, as being more agreeable 
to principles of equality, substituted in their stead. 15. The 
arms of the republic were successful against the allies ; before 
the close of the year the duke of Brunswick was not only 
driven out of the country, but the French, becoming invaders 
in their turn, captured several important places in the Austrian 
Netherlands and in the provinces bordering on the Rhine. 
16. The unfortunate prisoners in the Temple had been long 
subjected to every species of cruelty and indignity; the head 
of the princess de Lamballe, one of the victims of the second 
of September, was paraded before the window of the queen, 
whose favourite she had been ; the guards appointed to watch 
the royal captives insulted them every moment ; the common 
necessaries of life were withheld, and they hourly expected to 
fall victims to the violence of the populace or the secret 
treachery of their guards. 

17. At length, on the 20th of December, Louis was brought 
as a criminal to the bar of the convention. The crimes attri- 
buted to him were utterly without foundation. He was 
accused of having accepted the constitution with bad faith, and 
of correspondence with foreign powers hostile to France. Not 
a shadow of proof was offered in support of these charges, 
which, even if true to the last letter, could not affect his invio- 
labihty as settled by the constitution. The fallen monarch 
demanded a copy of the accusation, and the right of naming 
counsel to conduct his defence, requests which were conceded 



LOUIS XVI. 



353 




Tower of the Temple. 



wbn some difBcuIty. He chose as his advocates Deseze and 
Tronchet, two lawyers highly distinguished for their ability 
and integrity, together with the venerable Malesherbes. After 
a long trial, ^ i which the king's advocates exhibited the 
greatest zeal f id talent, the monarch was condemned to death 
by a majority of five votes. 18. The duke of Orleans, who 
had lately JViumed the tide of Philip Egalite, was one of those 
who voted *or the judicial murder of his cousin and his king. 

19. LcT jS received the account of his condemnation 
with firn>?iess, and solicited a brief delay to arrange his i-Cqo 
worldly kffairs, and prepare himself for another world. 
This WIS refused, but he was permitted to see his family, and 
bid tbem farewell. The abbe Edgeworth was chosen by the 
king as his confessor, be visited him on the evening of the 
20th January, and Louis, after having received the rites of the 
church, retired to bed, where he slept soundly. At nine 
o'clock on the following morning, a message was brought to 
inform him that " a carriage was in waiting." He immedi- 
ately rose, and, accompanied by his confessor, walked steadily 
through the outer court of the Temple to the gate, where the 
mayor's coach stood ready to receive him. The mournful 
procession moved slowly through deep files of soldiers, who 
30* X 



354 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

lined tne streets from the Temple to the place of execution 
The meJa.Kholy procession occupied two hours, during which 
time Louis employed himself in repeating with his confessor 
the prayers for persons at the point of death. He ascended 
the scafiold with a firm step, and said with a loud voice, 
"Frenchmen, I die innocent, and I trust that my blood" — at 
this moment Santerre ordered the drums to beat, and the rest 
of the sentence was inaudible. Louis then quietly resig.ied 
himself to the executioner; he was bound to the fatal instru- 
ment, and his head fell. Some few cried out Vive la nation, 
but the greater part of the spectators were melted into tears. 
His body, without being placed in a coffin, was hurriedly 
thrown into a plain grave, and quick-lime poured over it to 
accelerate the decomposition. Thus perished in the 39th year 
of his age, one of the most virtuous monarchs that ever filled 
the throne of France, a victim to the indiscretion of his friends 
and the malice of his enemies. 

20. In the course of the year, the unfortunate queen, and 
madame Elizabeth, the king's sister, were sacrificed to the 
mad cruelty of the republicans. The young dauphin, after 
having been forcibly torn from his mother's arms, was given 
in charge to a cobbler named Simon, a monster that vitiated 
his infant mind and destroyed his health ; but death fortunately 
soon released him from his miseries. The last survivor of the 
royal family, the princess who subsequently became the 
duchess of Angouleme, was, after a tedious captivity, exchanged 
with the Austrians for some French prisoners of distinction. 

2L Phihp Egalite derived no advantage from the infamous 
vote by which he had endeavoured to acquire popularity. He 
was accused of "infidelity to the republic, convicted, and hur- 
ried to execution, amid the shouts and execrations of the mul- 
titude, which he sustained with great patience, and submitted 
to his fate with surprising resolution. 



Questions. 

1. How did the friends of the revolution proceed to make a total 

change in the constitution ? 

2. What viras the character of Necker ? 

3. Did any circumstances stiow that there was a want of corv 

fidence between the king and the people 7 

4. Which of the royal family made their escape from France? 

5. By what unfortunate circumstances was the flight of Louia 

prevented ? 



LOUIS XVI. 355 

6. How did the national assembly terminate their labours? 

7. Why was their exclusion of themselves from the legislative 

assembly injurious? 

8. What iDJudicious proclamaiiun was issued by the dulce of 

Brunswick 1 

9. Was it followed by any injurious effect ? 

10. When did the populace commence their cruel excesses ? 

11. What remarkable events occurred in August? 

12. Whither was the king sent? 

13. Did any fearful massacre occur in September? 

14. How did the national conventioti commence its proceedings T 

15. Were the invaders of France successful? 

16. In what manner were the royal captives treated ? 

17. How did Louis behave on his trial ? 

18. Whose- is the most remarkable name in the list of the regi 

cides ? 

19. How did Louis behave at the place of execution? 

20. Whax became of the rest of the royal family ? 

21. How did the duke of Orleans die ? 




La Fayetta. 



356 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




The Tuilleries. 



CHAPTER S XXVIII. 

THE REPUBLIC. 

O sacred hunger of ambitious mindes 

And impotent desire of men to reign! 
Wliom neither dread of God, tliat devils bindes, 

Nor lawes of men, that common-weales containe,> 
Nor bands of nature, that wild beasts restraine, 

Can keepe from outrage, and from doing wrong 
Where they may hope a kingdom to obtaine, 

No faith so firm, no trust can be so strong, 
No love so lasting then, that may enduren long. 

Spensek. 

1. The tragical end of Louis XVL, the success of 
T7qQ ^^^ French arms, and a vote of the convention againsl 
monarchical power, produced a general coalition of the 
European courts. The convention did not wait to be attacked, 
but boldly declared that the republic was at war with the king 
of England and the stadtholder of Holland. The campaign 
commenced with a series of reverses on the part of the French, 
which induced the leaders of the Jacobin party to suspect 



THE REPUBLIC. 357 

general Dumouner of treachery. 2. Four commissaries were 
sent with BoumouviJle, the minister at war, to bring him to 
Paris for trial ; but Dumourier was by no means willing to 
fall a victim to the convention ; he arrested the commissioners 
and sent them as hostages to the Austrians. He hoped that 
by liis personal influence he would have prevailed on the 
army to join him in effecting the restoration of monarchy ; but 
finding himself disappointed, and dreading that he would be 
given up to the convention, he fled to the Austrian camp, and 
thus terminated his military career for ever. 

3. The party of the Jacobins, or the Mountain, as it has 
sometimes been called, were now triumphant in the conven- 
tion ; and it would be impossible to give even an imperfect 
delineation of the mingled atrocities and absurdities which 
they perpetrated. Their rule was emphatically denominated 
the Reign of Terror. All who dared to oppose the madness 
of the day were dragged to the scaffold ; the catalogue of public 
crimes to be punished with death was extended to the most 
innocent actions, and the first fruits of French liberty were a 
tyranny more odious than had ever before disgraced any 
country. Impiety accompanied cruelty, Christianity was de- 
clared to be abolished as an useless superstition, the churches 
were pillaged, their lands confiscated, and their plate melted 
down to pay the soldiers. The entire calendar was changed 
in order to efface the remembrance of the days consecrated to 
devotion, and it was declared that the only deities acknow- 
ledged by regenerated France, were Liberty and Reason. In 
short, a national insanity seems to have prevailed, that hurried 
men en to commit crime for the mere pleasure of being 
criminal, 

4. The campaign, a httle after its commencement, seemed 
to promise the allies a favourable issue ; Conde was delivered 
up to the Austrians, and Valenciennes was captured by the 
English, under the command of the duke of York. But the 
British general having laid siege to Dunkirk, was forced to 
retire by general Houchard, with the loss of a large portion of 
his arms and ammunition. On the upper Rhine the Austro- 
Prussian army was more successful, and forced general Cus- 
tine to retreat. The victorious Houchard and the defeated 
Custine were, however, equally obnoxious to the convention, 
and were both guillotined. Shortly afterwards, twenty mem- 
bers of the convention were brought to trial on vague accusa- 
tions and sentenced to death. Bailly, the mayor of Paris, whc 



358 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

had been one of the most conspicuous loaders of the icvolu 
lion, was among the number. 

5. In several parts of the country disgust at the crimes of 
the capital produced insurrectionary movements. Lyons set 
the example, and supported a long siege before it fell into the 
hands of the revolutionary army, but then its fate was dread- 
ful ; at the head of the commission sent down by the conven- 
tion to investigate the crimes of the unfortunate city, was a vile 
buflbon natned CoUot (PHcrbois, who had in former years been 
hissed ofT that stage. 6. Thousands of persons perished by 
his orders ; the executioners were unable to destroy the vic- 
tims with sufficient celerity, and cannon was directed against 
them to insure their wholesale destruction. Marseilles, to 
avoid a similar fate, submitted, but the people of Toulon sur- 
rendered their town and fleet to the English. The revolutionary 
army approached, and principally by the judicious measures 
of Napoleon Buonaparte, a young Corsican,* whose name was 
afterwards to fill so large a portion of the history of the world, 
compelled the British to evacuate the town. Before their de- 
parture they burned most of the \'essels which they could not 
bring off; but the inhabitants of Toulon were left to meet the 
same fote as those of Lyons. 

7. In another quarter a still fiercer war was carried on. The 
inhabitants of La Vendee had been from the very beginning 
of the revolution inclined to support the cause of royalty, and 
had shown many proofs of their dislike for the new republic. 
At length they commenced a furious war on the convention 
and its supporters, which in the beginning was everywhere 
crowned with success. But the allies neglected to send them 
assistance until it was too late ; the leaders became jealous of 
each other, disunion crept into their councils, while an over- 
whelming army of the republic spread devastation through the 
province. Peace w^as restored to La Vendee, but it was the 
peace of desolation, obtained by the ruin of the province and 
massacre of its inhabitants. 

8. The close of this eventful year saw the republic every 
where triumphant. The Prusso-Austrian army were com 
pelled to retire before the French under Hoche and Pichegru, 
and the allies who had commenced so successfully, w-ere in the 
end defeated b}^ an enemy whom they had rashly despised. 

* Buonaparte's military propensities were inilicated at the school 
of Brienne, where he commanded his schoolmates in tlieii miniio 
Warfare of snowballs and snow forts. 



THE REPUBLIC. 



S'lrt 




THE REPUBLIC. 36i 

9. The preparations for the following campaign were 



A. D. 



on the most extensive scale ; like the former it began i^'qV 
favourably for the allies and terminated in their total 
defeat. The convention issued orders to their soldiers to give 
no quarter to the allies ; on the other hand, the duke of York 
issued a proclamation forbidding the British soldiers to retaliate, 
an/J reminding them that humanity is the greatest ornament 
of heroism. 10. At length the Parisians themselves became 
wearied of the crimes of the Jacobins. On the 28th of July, 
France was delivered from those monsters, who set no bounds 
to their sanguinarj' fury ; they wore all dragged before that 
revolutionary tribunal, by means of which they had committed 
so many crimes, and lost their lives on the same scaffold which 
they had inundated with the blood of so many thousand vic- 
tims. From thenceforward, the republic ceased to exhibit the 
horrid scenes of massacre and bloodshed by which it had been 
hitherto disgraced. 

11. In this memorable year the French won six pitched 
battles, and captured one hundred and twenty-four towns ; bui 
the British squadron maintained their superiority by 
sea, and almost all the French colonies in the West -iiy'qK 
Indies were taken without much difficulty. Pichegru, 
who commanded the army of the republic in the Netherlands, 
did not suspend military operations during the winter. Taking 
advantage of a heavj?^ frost, he crossed the Waal on the ice, 
and in an incredibly short space of time subdued Holland. 
The prince of Orange was forced to take refuge in England, 
and the United Provinces, under the name of the Batavian re- 
public, became a dependency of France. 12. Soon after, the 
allies were weakened by the defection of Prussia, which pro- 
fessed a strict neutrality, and Spain, which, though governed 
by a prince of the Bourbon family, entered into a league, of- 
fensive and defensive, with the republic. 13. The burden of 
the war now fell upon Austria and England ; the imperial 
forces, after having gained some successes on the Rhine; con- 
cluded an armistice with their opponents ; the efforts of the 
British were confined to an ill-concerted expedition against the 
French coast, designed to revive the war in La Vendee. The 
?'rench emigrants, with a numerous body of their countrymen 
vhich the British government had in pay, made a descent in 
"le bay of Gluiberon. Having taken possession of a fort de 
Unded by the republicans, they entrenched themselves in a 
position selected by their leader, the count d'Herville, with 
more courage than judgment. Here they were attacked by 
31 



362 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ihe republicans under general Hoche, their camp surprised 
and the greater portion of their army either slain or made 
prisoners. 

14. During the armistice between the French and 

tjqa Austrians, both parties made extensive preparations for 
renewing the war. The command of the republican 
army in Italy was entrusted to Napoleon Buonaparte, who had 
already distinguished himself at the siege of Toulon. Ele- 
vated at the early age of twenty-six to a station of such im- 
portance, he soon showed such proofs of military skill, as 
placed him at the head of all the generals in Europe. In one 
campaign the Austrians lost the greater part of Italy, the Pied- 
montese and the pope were forced to purchase security by sub- 
mitting to whatever terms the conqueror pleased to impose, and 
the king of Naples compelled to seek peace on humiliating 
conditions. The most brilliant action of the campaign was 
the passage of the bridge of Lodi, which was forced by the 
French grenadiers in the teeth of the Austrian batteries, which 
vainly poured a murderous shower of grape-shot on the ad- 
vancing columns. 15. The campaign on the Rhine was less 
fortunate but equally honourable ; after the Austrians had de- 
feated marshal Jourdan, the ruin of the French army com- 
manded by Moreau seemed inevitable, but that general by a 
masterly retreat, which lasted twenty-seven days, disconcerted 
all the schemes of the enemy, and brought his army safely 
across the Rhine in the presence of the hostile army. 

16. In the course of the year the French made an attempt 
to invade Ireland, in order to assist the United Irishmen, who 
were discontented with the conduct of the British government. 
The fleet escaped from Brest, without being discovered by the 
Englisb squadron, but a violent storm dispersed the ships, and 
prevented those which reached Bantry-bay from effecting a 
landing. As many of the soldiers thai had been sent on this 
expedition were criminals taken from the galleys, the French 
government did not know how to treat them on their return. 
At length they determined to send them against Great Britain 
itself They efiected a landing at Fishguard in Wales, on the 
23d of February 1797, and surrendered themselves prisoners 
the same evening without making any resistance. 

17. Mantua, the last strong hold of the Austrians in 

,Jq,.^ Italy, having surrendered, Buonaparte advanced al ung 

the shores of the Adriatic, and passing through the 

Alpine defiles which separate Italy from Germany, threatened 

Vienna. The emperor, terrified at the dangers by which he 



{64 



HlferTORY OF FRANCE. 




THE REPUBLir 365 

was threatened, hastened to make a peace A treaty was 
■joncluded at Campo Formio, by which the Austrian Nether- 
lands were given up to France, and the north of Italy, nomi- 
nally formed into an independent state, under the name of the 
Cisalpine republic, was virtually subjected to the same power. 
18. The constitution of France was gradually assuming a 
monarchical form, two councils, that of the ancients, and that 
of the five hundred, had succeeded the convention, and the 
executive power was entrusted to a directory that held the 
regal authority in commission. 

19. England alone now opposed the republic, and 
by its naval superiority sustained the contest with i^qq 
vigour. ^Fhe French marine had never recovered the 
blow inflicted by lord Howe on the 1st of June 1794; the 
Spanish fleet had been signally defeated off Cape St. Vincent 
in 1797, and in the latter end of the same year, the Dutch 
navy had been nearly annihilated in a sanguinary battle near 
Camperdown. This prevented the French from aiding the 
insurgents in Ireland, who had actually taken up arms. The 
rebellion was over before any attempt to aid the insurgents 
was made by the French, and even then only about a thou- 
sand men were sent, who were soon forced to surrender. 
20. Buonaparte having subdued Switzerland, and deposed 
the pope without meeting any resistance, resolved, if possible, 
to humble the British, whose insular situation protected them 
from his ambition and his vengeance. Perceiving that her 
commerce with India was one of the great sources of British 
wealth ; to destroy this, he resolved to take possession of 
Egypt. At the same time the Directory, probably to disguise 
their real designs, threatened an invasion of England, but after 
much boasting it was laid aside as impraclicable. The fleet 
and army designed for the subjugation of Egypt sailed from 
Toulon on the 13th of May ; by the treachery of the knights 
they obtained possession of Malta, and pursuing their course 
landed safely in Egypt, where they soon made themselves 
masters of Alexandria. The victory of Embabeh secured 
them the possession of Cairo, and thus in a very short lime 
the French found themselves masters of Lower Egypt. 

21. Meantime admiral Nelson had sailed in pursuit of the 
Toulon fleet, and had actually passed them in the Mediter- 
ranean, but the want of frigates prevented him from discover- 
ing their movements. At length he discovered them on the 
1st of August, moored m the bay of Aboukir, presenting an 
31* 



866 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

.mposing line. Having made his arrangements, the English 
admiral commenced the engagement about sunset, and before 
the dawn of the following morning obtained one of the com- 
pletest victories recorded in the annals of naval warfare. Of 
the entire French fleet only two line-of-battle ships and two 
frigates escaped ; the rest were either burned or captured. 
Even those that fled were afterwards taken by the British 
cruisers in the Mediterranean. 

22. Buonaparte, thus cut off from a^i communication with 
France, pursued his conquests in Egypt with equal spirit and 
success. The splendid cavalry of the Mamelukes were de- 
feated in every attack that they made on the invaders, while 
the French horse, under the command of " the handsome 
swordsman," as Murat was generally caHed, were victorious 

in every encounter. Having provided for the security 
^jqq of Egypt, Buonaparte advanced into Syria, but .suUied 

all his triumphs by remorselessly murdering sll his 
prisoners in cold blood at JafTa. Soon after, he laid sieg^ to 
Acre, which the Turks, aided by Sir Sidney Smith, defended 
with such bravery for sixty days, that Napoleon was com* 
pelled to return to Egypt. A splendid victory ovei tl»«i 




Siege of Acre. 



THE REPUBLIC. 36'^ 

Mame.ukes near Aboukir revived the drooping spirits of the 
army; but Napoleon saw in the distraction of France an 
opportunity of obtaining higher honours than the laurels of 
Egypt, and having resigned the command of the army to 
general Kleber, he privately departed from Egypt. 

23. Having safely passed through the British cruisers that 
guarded the Mediterranean, he landed at Frejus and pro- 
ceeded to the capital, where he was received with the greatest 
enthusiasm. Aided by 'he unanimous support of the troops, 
he abolished the Directory, and in its place estabhshed a con- 
sulate, of which he was himself the chief. The council of 
five hundred, who opposed this arrangement, were dispersed 
at the point of the bayonet. This great revolution was effected 
without bloodshed, although certainly with violence, and 
thenceforward the French republic existed only in name. 

2-1. Meantime the English government had excited the 
Neapolitans and Austrians to renew the war. The Russian 
emperor sent an army under Suwarrow to aid the coalition, 
and thus strengthened, the allies had liberated Switzerland, 
recovered the north of Italy, and were even threatening an 
invasion of the southern French provinces. This gloomy 
aspect of affairs had facilitated the revolution of which we 
have ju.-t spoken ; for the nation, remembering the former 
triumphs of Napoleon, trusted that his abilities would restore 
their concjuests and their glory. The first consul addressed a 
letter, professing the most pacific intentions, to the king of 
Great Britain, which was answered by Lord Grenville, in 
terms that plainly showed it to be the intention of the British 
cabinet to continue the war. 

25. The defection of the Emperor of Russia, who 
believed, with some justice, that the Austrians had not io/-»rJ 
properly supported his general Suwarrow, consider- 
ably weakened the allies, and by giving Napoleon the undis- 
turbed possession of Switzerland, enabled him to execute the 
most extraordinary enterprise recorded in the history of war. 
2'o. This was to pass over the most difficult part of the Alps, 
and throwing himself in the rear of the Austrian army, to 
force general Melas to come to an engagement under circum 
stances where reverse must needs be ruin. The better tu 
conceal this project, he pretended to assemble an army of 
reserve at Dijon, and the Austrians, fixing their entire atten- 
tion on this mass of raw recruits, gave themselves up to the 
most extravagan* transports of hope and joy. The march of 
A numerous army, with its train of ammunition-waggons and 



368 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

artillery, over mountains covered with eternal snow, along 
airy ridges of rock, where the iiunter of the chamois, the goat- 
herd, and the outlawed smuggler, are alone accustomed to 
venture, was an undertaking so perfectly astonishing, that the 
Austrians could scarcely believe the intelligence, when ihey 
learned that Napoleon, after having, like Hannibal, triumphed 
over nature, was driving their posts before him through the 
north of Italy. 27. Meias marched to meet him, and on the 
13th of April was fought the decisive battle of IMarengo. In 
this engagement the Austrians at first obtained great ad- 
vantages, which they failed to improve; the arrival of the 
reserve under Dessaix checked their advance, while Napoleon 
recalled his retreating troops. The victory was yet doubtful, 
when the timely charge of Kellermann on the Austrian flank 
determined the fate of the day ; the imperialists were every 
where broken, hundreds were drowned in attempting to pass 
the little river Bormida, and whole corps, to avoid a similar 
fate, surrendered themselves prisoners. 28. After this brilliant 
achievement. Napoleon returned to Paris, where he was re- 
ceived with the greatest enthusiasm. He concluded an 
armistice with the Austrians, but the remonstrances of the 
British cabinet prevented the emperor from concluding the 
peace. During the progress of the negociaiions, the life of 
the first consul was in imminent danger from the plots of the 
jacobins and royalists, who were equally enemies to his 
usurpation. One of these, called the plot of the infernal 
machine, had nearly succeeded. A barrel of gunpowder, 
surrounded with grape-shot, was placed in a cart, which b*"- 
ing set on fire by a slow match, was to explode at the moment 
when Buonaparte was passing through a narrow street. The 
?ngine exploded only half a minute after his carriage had 
passed, killing twenty persons, and wounding more than fifty, 
but Napoleon escaped uninjured. He took advantage of the 
sensation excited by this treacherous attempt, to create a new 
arbitrary tribunal for the trial of offences against the state, and 
to obtain new powers for himself, under the pretence of guard- 
ing the republic from its secret enemies. 

29. In November the war was renewed: it continued foi 
some time indecisive, but at length the Austrians were de- 
feated in every point, and the bloody battle of Hohenlinder. 
laid the empire prostrate at the feet of France. A treaty was 
concluded at Luneville, on terms dictated by the conqueroi 
and France was now the undisputed mistress of the con 
tinent. 



THE REPUBLIC. 369 

30. England still maintained the contest singie- 
nanded, and sustained the glory of her arms by two ^ani 
signal triumphs in pans of the globe far remote from 
each other. The army under the command of general Aber 
cromby expelled the French from Egypt, but its gallant leader 
died in the moment of victory. 

81. The northern powers having coalesced to destroy the 
naval superiority of England, admiral Nelson was sent into the 
Baltic, and having made overtures for negociaiion in va:.n, he 
attacked and destroyed the Danish fleet at Copenhagen. The 
French renewed their threats of invasion, but the appointment 
of Nelson to the command of the channel-fleet made them 
again lay acide the enterprise as hopeless. 32. The retire- 
ment of Mr. Pitt from the British ministry was the signal for 
commencing negociations. After many delays, a treaty was 
concluded at Amiens on the 10th of October, to the great de- 
light of both nations. 

33. The peace of Amiens had scarcely been signed, 
when it began to appear nothing better than a mere icno 
suspension of arms, and that a new war would soon be 
rekindled by the restless ambition of Napoleon, Shortly after 
the signing of the preliminaries, he procured himself to be 
appointed president of the Cisalpine republic in the north of 
Italy, a proceeding which greatly irritated the Austrian cabinet. 
His attention was next directed to the organization of the Li- 
gurian republic, of which Genoa was declared the capital. Ho 
also brought about a political reform in Switzerland, and sent 
thirty thousand men into that country to support his ambitious 
projects. The consolidation of his power at home was not 
neglected ; by a concordat concluded with the pope, the Ro- 
man catholic religion was again established in France, and the 
entire ecclesiastical authority lodged in the hands of the first 
consul. Universal hberty of conscience was established for 
all rehgious opinions ; and the emigrant clergy were invited 
to return to their flocks, provided that they would promise 
their support to the established order of things. His next 
step towards despotism was to procure himself to be appointed 
consul for life; soon after which he instituted a new order of 
chivalry, called the legion of honour, the members of which 
were chosen from all the public professions indifFerendy. 

34. St. Domingo, the most beautiful and valuable of the 
French islands in the West Indies, was in a state of frightful 
insurrection ; the negroes, under the com.mand of Tou^sain* 
Louverture, had established their independence, and the colo 

Y 



370 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

nists had been either driven out or slain. Leclerc, brother-in 
law to the consul, was sent to recover the island, and suc- 
ceeded, principally by the treachery of some of the negro- 
chiefs. Toussaint Louverture surrendered in consequence of 
a negociation ; but Leclerc, dreading his influence, had him 
soon after arrested and sent to France, where he died in prison. 
But the French rulers having attempted to re-establish slavery, 
the negroes again broke out into rebellion, and after a fearful 
contest, in which the French lost multitudes of soldiers, the 
msurgents prevailed. St. Domingo was lost to France, and 
the island has ever since continued an independent negro slate, 
under the name of Hayti, 

35. One of the conditions of the treaty concluded at 
180'^ Amiens was, that the English should restore the island 

* of Malta to the knights of St. John ; but being con- 
vinced of the probability of war, they refused to give up a post 
which secured to them the commerce of the xMediterrancan. 
On the 16th of May, letters of marque were issued against 
France, and all the French vessels in British harbours were 
seized. Napoleon retaliated by seizing on the persons of all 
the British travellers whom business or pleasure had induced 
to visit the continent ; and these unfortunate persons were de- 
tained as prisoners of war. General Mortier marched against 
Hanover, of which he took possession without resistance ; and 
the mouths of the rivers Elbe and Weser, which formed the 
principal outlets of European commerce, were shut against the 
English. On the other hand, the British navy blockaded the 
ports, and attacked with success the colonies of the enemy, 
while a threatened invasion raised such a spirit of patriotic 
resistance through the island, that the people readily granted 
to the ministry all the supphes of men and money that they 
demanded. 

36. The attention of Europe was fixed upon the 
ISni projected invasion of England, when two strange events 

* occurred in Paris, that excited universal astonishment 
and indignation. A conspiracy was said to have been dis- 
covered against Buonaparte, at the head of which were 
Pichegru, the conqueror of Holland, George Cadoudal, a Ven- 
dean chief, and Moreau, whose military fame rivalled that of 
Napoleon. The conspirators were arrested, and the gallant 
Pichegru secretly assassinated in prison. A few days before 
this, the Parisians heard in one breath, that the heir ot the 
house of Conde, the duke d'Enghien, had been arrested at 
Eitenheim, a town in the principality of Baden, and tried and 



THE REPUBLIC. 



371 




Death of the Duke d'Enghien. 



executed within sight of their own houses at Vincennes. Thia 
horrid murder was aggravated by a mock trial, in which every 
form of law and every principle of justice were violated. The 
unhappy prince was arrested in a neutral state, tried for a 
civil offence before a mihtary tribunal, at the hour of midnight, 
when it was against the laws of France to hold any trial ; no 
counsel was allowed for his defence ; the execution took place 
immediately after the sentence, without any time being al- 
lowed for the prince to lodge an appeal, and finally, had even 
all the legal forms been observed, the duke owed no allegiance 
to the government of France. He died with a firmness and 
constancy worthy of his noble birth, and was buried in the 
ditch of the castle of Vincennes. This fatal event is the 
greatest blot on Napoleon's character; its imprudence was to 
the full as great as its wickedness, for such an act of wanton 
cruelly provoked against him the personal hostility of the Eu- 
ropean sovereigns. The remark of the callous Fouche on th3 
subject has passed into a proverb — "It was worse than a 
crime — it was a blunder." 

37. The first consul soon afterwards obtained the object of 
his highest ambition ; he was created by a subservient senate 
emperor of the French, the philosopher and statesman Carnol 
having alone had the courage to protest against the appoint- 
ment. Thus vanished like a shadow the French republiCithe 
Rst^blishment of which had been purchased by so many lives 



372 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

The only important military event in this year was the seizure 
pf the Spanish plate-fleet by the English without any formal 
declaration of war ; this of course produced a close alliance 
between the courts of Paris and Madrid, though there is reason 
to believe that they had been previously united in hostility lo 
LVagland. 

t^8. The conspirators against Buonaparte were brought to 
iTial ; George Cadoudal and ten of his associates were exe- 
fuced ; General Moreau was permitted to transport himself to 
America; the remainder were pardoned. Freed thus from 
dangers, Napoleon prepared for the ceremony of his corona- 
Jion, and, to the astonishment of all Europe, prevailed on the 
pope to officiate on the occasion. He was crowned emperor 
of the French on the 2d of December, and in the following 
year assumed the title and ensigns of king of Italy at Milan. 



Questions. 

1. Against w^hat European powers did the Convention declare 

war ? 

2. How did the military career of Dumourier terminate? 

3. Wljat general description maybe given of the reign of terror? 

4. With what success was the war carried on ? 

5. Did any symptoms of hostility to the Convention appear in 

any part of France? 

6. How were the inhabitants of the discontented towns treated ? 

7. By what means was the insurrection in La Vendee quelled? 

8. How did the campaign terminate? 

9. What contrast is tliere between the orders issued to the French 

and English armies ? 
IQ. How was the reign of terror terminated ? 

11. By whom was Holland subjugated? 

12. What nations deserted the allies'? 

13. Did England undertake any unsuccessful expedition? 

14. What calamities did the Austrians suffer in Italy? 

15. How was the campaign conducted on the Rhine? 

16. With what success did the French attempt to invade Britain! 

17. Into what terms of peace was Austria forced? 

18. Did any change take place in the internal government of 

France ? 

19. Where did England maintain her superiority? 

20. In what way did Buonaparte resolve to weaken the powei 

of Britain ? 

21. By what naval victory did the English cut off the commniu> 

cation between the invaders of Egypt and France ? 
2B. Why did Buonaparte return home ? 



THE REPUBLIC. 



373 



23. What char.ge did he make in the government on iiis return^ 

24. Was there any confederacy now formed against France? 

25. Did any one of the alh'es withdraw himself from the rest? 

26. What extraordinary march did Buonaparte perform? 

27. In what decisive engagement were the Austrians over 

thrown ? 

28. From what great danger did Napoleon escape? 

29. How were the Austrians compelled to solicit peace? 

30. Did England obtain any triumphs? 

31. Was the close of the war remarkable for any naval exploits 

32. What facilitated the conclusion of peace between France and 

England ? 

33. How was Napoleon employed during the peace? 

34. What occurred during this time at St. Domingo? 

35. How did the war between France and England recom- 

mence ? 

36. What legal murders did Napoleon sanction ? 

37. To what dignity was he soon after raised? 

38 What remarkable circumstances took place at the cl 'se of tha 
year 1804? 






i-.J'.mi 



^U 



il-' 



ik' 



Jlil'.l-^Ti^-j, ,. V, MiijiiiD 

-'-■''lEir'.'EICLTiiri 



Napoleon crowning Josepbiae. 



» 



374 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Napoleon. 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

THE EMPIRE. 

When Europe bowed beneath the yoke, 
And Austria bent and Prussia broke. 

Scott. 

1. The murder of the duke d'Enghien facWitafed 

/^.fcl the formation of a coalition between the cabinets of 

Petersburgh, Stockholm, and London, against France 

ft was not, however, until after the delay of some months, thai 

Austria and Prussia could be prevailed upon to unite with the 



THE EMPIRE. 375 

Other allies for maintaining the independence of Europe ; and 
the indecision of the latter power prevented her from sharing 
in the contest. 2. From the extreme of sloth, the Austrian 
government, irritated by the news of the usurpations of the 
French in Italy, suddenly passed into the opposite and more 
dangerous one of inconsiderate rashness. Without waiting 
for the Russian troops, or even securing tha co-operation of 
Prussia, the Austrian emperor coramenceu the war. 3. His 
first proceeding was almost as tyrannical as any of which he 
complained on the part of the French. The elector of Bava* 
ria having a son travelling in France, was anxious to remain 
neutral, and submissively entreated the German emperor to 
grant him permission to do so ; his request was not only re- 
fused, but he was ordered forthwith to incorporate his forces 
with the Austrians, and place his soldiers under their chiefs. 
This was of course refused. The Austrians poured their 
forces into Bavaria, and acted as if they were in an- enemy's 
country, while the elector retired into Franconia, and anxiously 
awaited the arrival of the French as his deliverers. 

4. The army which Napoleon had designed for the inva- 
sion of England, immediately was ordered to march on the 
Grerman frontier, while Massena was directed to commence 
oflensive operations, and penetrate, if possible, into the here- 
ditary dominions of Austria. 5. On both sides the French 
were pre-eminently successful ; Mack, the Austrian general, 
after a series of blundering operations which completely proved 
his incapacity, shut himself up in Ulm with 20,000 men, and 
surrendered the town on the 17ih of October, under circum- 
stances that show he was not only a coward but a traitor. Mas 
sena defeated the Austrians in Italy, and Napoleon was con 
sequently enabled to make himself master of Vienna without 
any opposition. But Austria had still some chances in her 
favour; the Russian emperor had at length brought up his 
forces, and the two armies were concentrated in Moravia. 6. 
Napoleon, with a precipitancy that might have cost him dear, 
passed the Danube, and afier a series of manoeuvres, in which 
the allies showed but Utile skill, the two armies met on the 
second of December, to decide for a time the destinies of 
Europe, on the plains of Austerlitz. The Russians having 
incautiously too much extended their line. Napoleon poured a 
force through the gap which completely severed that wing 
from the centre ; the centre itself was soon broken by the 
French cavalry under Murat, and the right wing of the allies^ 
v^vcb <br a moment had held the fate of the day in suspense, 



376 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Napoleon on the Evening before the Battle of Austerlitz. 



was overwhelmed by masses of superior force. A great nunri' 
ber endeavoured to make good their retreat over some frozen 
lakes, but the French broke the ice about them with a storm 
of shot, and more than 20,000 were either drowned or swept 
away by the artillery. 7. The fate of the continent was de- 
cided : the Austrian and Russian emperors were obliged to 
accept peace on any terms that the conqueror pleased to dic- 
tate. The Germanic constitution* was dissolved, and a new 
connection formed between the states, called the Confederation 
of the Rhine, with Napoleon at its head, under the title of 
Protector. The electors of Bavaria and Wirtemberg were 
created kings; Murat became grand-duke of Berg, and Louis 
the brother of Napoleon, was named king of Holland. 

8. But before the battle of Austerlitz was fought, France 
sustained a signal defeat in another quarter, which almost bal- 
anced that victory. The combined fleets of France and Spain 
were almost annihilated at Trafalgar by the English under lord 
Nelson, who fell in the midst of his triumph. Napoleon on 
his return to France completed his abolition of that republic 
which had cost France so dear, by distributing titles and dig- 

* The Germanic., or, as it was in diplomatic style termed, the Hol^ 
Roman Empire, which was thus dissolved, had lasted one thousand 
and six years, reckoning from the liir.e when Charlemagne had re- 
ceived the imperial crown from pope Leo III. 



THE EMPIRE. 371 

nities to tne gen^Tals who had shared in the glories of ihji 
brilliant campaign. 

9. Unawed by the calamitous defeat of Austria, and 
untaught by a knowledge of the errors which had iQr>/I 
caused these disasters, Prussia rushed heedlessly into 
war with the French, and committed over again the same 
faults that led to tlie ruin of the emperor. After some alter- 
cations in notes and manifestos, the Prussian army marched 
into Saxony, and treated the country as Bavaria had been 
treated by the Austrians in the preceding year. 10. Napoleon 
saw and took advantage of their error; by an unexpected 
movement, he turned the right wing of his opponents, seized 
and blew up their magazines, and placed his army between 
the Prussians and their resources. The explosion ^ ^. 
of his magazines first made the rash king aware. of 
the extent of his danger ; his attempts to extricate himself 
brought on the battle of Jena, in which the Prussians were 
defeated, and their cause irretrievably ruined. 11. The con 
sequences of this memorable battle were still more disastrous 
the different corps of the Prussian army were obliged to lay 
down their arms in succession ; the fortresses were surren 
dered after a very inefficacious resistance, either by the cow- 
ardice or treachery of their governors. Blucher, who alone 
of all the Prussian leaders had exhibited any courage or mili- 
tary skill, was forced, after a brilliant retreat, to surrender, and 
the king of Prussia having abandoned his capital, was com- 
pelled to take refuge in Konigsberg with the shattered remains 
of his forces. Thus within the brief space of a month was 
the fabric of the Prussian power, which the abilities of the 
great Frederic had erected, totally, and to all appearance, 
remedilessly destroyed. 

12. The emperor of Russia now ordered his forces 
to unite wi'.h the remnant of the Prussian array, but -lo'n-y 
the French maintained their superiority until the seve- 
rity of winier compelled both armies to lay aside hostilities for 
a brief period. 13. In the latter end of January, the Prus- 
sians having received some reinforcements, resumed the offen- 
sive, and on the 8th of February was fought the bloody battle 
of Eylau. After a horrible scene of carnage, night separated 
the combatants, and the victory remained undecided. For 
some time after both armies remained inactive, but during the 
interval, the French made themselves masters of Dantzic. A 
{ength, on the 14tb of June, the decisive battle of Friedland 
was foucrht; the Russians maintained the combat with distiu 
32* 



378 iiisTorvY OF France. 

guished bravery, and retreated in good order. 1-1. But the 
consequences of the battle were as great as those of the nnost 
brilliant victory ; the emperor of Russia concluded an armis- 
tice, and on the 25th of June had a personal interview with 
Napoleon at Tilsit, where a treaty of peace was negociated. 
The king of Prussia was stripped of half his dominions, and 
was given to understand that he owed the preservation of the 
remainder to the friendly intercession of Russia. The cruel 
and contumelious treatment of the unhappy monarch produced 
such an effect on his high-spirited and lovely consort, that she 
died of a broken heart. 

15. Napoleon had issued from Berlin those celebrated de 
crees which forbade the introduction of British manufectures 
on the continent ; he confirmed them anew at Tilsit, and took 
the most vigorous means to shut out England from all conri- 
mercial intercourse with the rest of Europe. But this was 
an enterprise in which it was impossible for him to succeed ; 
long habit had made British manufactures and colonial pro- 
duce necessaries of life ; they continued to be surreptitiously 
introduced, with the connivance of the French allies, and even 
of Buonaparte's brother; while the vexatious tyranny of the 
custom-house officers produced a deep and popular resent- 
ment, whose effects were severely felt in the sequel. 

16. The king of Sweden had engaged in the war as an 
ally of Prussia, but after the treaty of Tilsit he was forced to 
retire before the superior power of the French, and a resolu- 
tion was taken to deprive him of his crown. 

17. The situation of Denmark was at this time in the 
highest degree embarrassing, for it was evident that its govern- 
ment could not, even if they were inclined, prevent their fleet 
from being seized upon by ihe French emperor, and made 
subservient to his purposes. The British cabinet, which up 
to this period seemed to have resigned all concern for the 
safety of the country, suddenl^^ acted with a promptitude and 
decision that formed a powerful contrast to its previous tor- 
pidity: a fleet consisting of twenty-seven sail of the line, and 
having on board a respectable body of land-forces under the 
command of Sir Arthur Wellesle)^ was sent to enforce the 
surrender of the Danish fleet, not as possessions, but as 
pledges to be restored at the conclusion of a general peace. 
18. The cabinet of Denmark at first refused to comply, bu. 
the bombardment of Copenhagen terrified them into submis 
sion, they unwillinaly surrendered their ships, and imme- 
diately after declared war against England. The seizing of 



THE EMPIRE. 379 

rhe Danish fleet was undoubtedly a strong measure, but il 
Beems to be justified by the circumstances of the time. 

19. The period immediately following the peace of Tilsit 
was the happiest time of the French empire; the publication 
of that admirable code of laws, justly styled the code Napoleon, 
at once raised the legal system of France from the very worst 
to one of the best in fiurope ; the erection of splendid bridges 
and aqueducts improved the state of the country, roads and 
canals were constructed with more skill than had been hitherto 
witnessed on the continent, and the vanity of the Parisians 
was gratified by the erection of some magnificent pubHc 
buildings, and by the adornment of their galleries with pic- 
tures and statues extorted from conquered states. The strict- 
ness of the police and the fear of the military conscription 
were the only severities of despotism that the French ex- 
perienced ; but these, and especially the latter, were serious 
evils. 

20. We are now approaching the transaction, whose per- 
fidious commencement and fatal termination should for ever 
be a lesson to statesmen and princes, that treachery invariably 
brings its own punishment. Spain was at this time governed 
by a court, whose criminality can scarcely be paralleled in 
the annals of infamy. Charles, its sovereign, was a weak 
ignorant man, whose imbecility bordered on idiotcy ; the 
queen lived in the open practice of the most revolting de- 
bauchery; Godoy, her paramour, whom she had raised from 
the rank of a private soldier to the title of Prince of the Peace, 
was a compound of ignorance and vanity, with every inchna- 
tion, but not with sufficient abilities, to attain eminence by the 
most iniquitous means. Ferdinand, prince of Asturias, the 
heir apparent, united in an eminent degree his mother's per- 
fidy with his father's folly, and was at the same time openly 
hostile to both his parents. 21. With this court Napoleon 
negociaied a treaty for depriving England of her commerce 
with Portugal, and sent an army under Junot to enforce 
obedience to his imperious edicts. The prince regent of 
Portugal endeavoured to purchase security by an inglorious 
Bubmission, but at the same time unwilling to commit an act 
of gross injustice to his oldest and most faithful allies, he gave 
the English merchants early notice to make their escape with 
all the property that they could collect, before he published in 
his dominions the Berlin decrees, which commanded the for- 
feiture of all British manufactures. 22. This submission did 
not satisfy Napoleon ; he published in the French official paper 



380 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

that the house of Braganza had ceased to reign ; the prince 
regent had then no other means left to escape a prison but tc 
take refuge on board the English fleet, by which he was 
escorted to the Brazilian dominions of Portugal in South 

America. 

23. The occurrences which enabled Napoleon to 

ISOft ^"^'^^ ^"^ '•'^^ persons of the Spanish royal family are 
still involved in great mystery; a conspiracy was said 
to have been formed by the prince of Asturias ; soon after the 
king of Spain and Godoy resolved to quit the kingdom and 
settle in South America; the news of this caused a popular 
insurrection, which terminated in the resignation of Charles 
nnd the quiet accession of Ferdinand. While men were won- 
dering how all this would end, Charles published a proclama- 
tion, asserting that his resignation was an involuntary act, and 
claiming the assistance of his French ally for the recovery of 
his crown. 24. By the most consummate arts. Napoleon suc- 
ceeded in persuading all the parties to refer the disputes to his 
decision, and to come and meet him at Bayonne for the pur- 
pose. The wretched dupes crossed the frontier, and when 
they were irrevocably in the power of the emperor, were in- 
formed that the Bourbon family should no longer govern Spain, 
and that its crown was transferred to Joseph Buonaparte, who 
had been hitherto the nominal king of Naples. 

25. When the news of this unparalleled treachery was spread 
through Spain, it produced the most violent effect on that fierce 
and haughty nation ; the populace everywhere rose and com- 
mitted furious excesses on the partizans of Godoy and Napo- 
leon, which the French, and especially Murat, who commanded 
at Madrid, fearfully retaliated. The Spaniards in every quarter 
^reeled provincial juntas to administer the affairs of govern- 
ment, and raised numerous armies under the command of dif- 
ferent leaders, but want of skill and unity made their labours 
inefTectual. The English nation deeply sympathised in the 
Spanish struggle for independence ; the deputies from that na- 
tion were received in the most friendly manner, the prisoners 
were restored, supplies of arms and money forwarded to the 
peninsula, and a treaty concluded with the leaders of the in- 
surrection both in Spain and Portugal. 26. The patriots 
Deing raw and inexperienced troops at first suffered several de- 
feats, but at length general Dupont was forced to surrender 
with 20,000 men to the Spaniards under the command of Cas- 
tanos, and the French besieaprs of Zarago^sa were foiled in 
their attack on this unfortified city by Palafox, a young noble* 
man of romantic brave rv 



THE EMPIRE. 381 

27. At length an expedition was sent from Britain to aid in 
the expulsion of the French from the peninsula; it was com- 
manded by Sir Arthur Wellesley, already distinguished by 
his victories in India and Denmark. On the 8th of August, 
a landing was effected in the bay of Mondego ; on the 17th 
the French, under general Laborde, were defeated near Roviga, 
and on the 21st, a still more decisive victory was obtained over 
Junot, at Vimiera. 28. But after having obtained such bril- 
liant success, the English general had the mortification to find 
himself deprived of the supreme command by the arrival of 
Sir Henry Burrard, and afterwards of Sir Hew Dalrymple. 
older but less skilful generals. General Dalrymple concluded 
the celebrated convention of Cinfra with the French general, 
by which the fruits of Wellesley's brilliant victories were lost, 
and the French permitted to retire with the plunder of Portugal. 

29. The news of the successes obtained by the insurgents 
in Spain, and the British in Portugal, convinced Napoleon that 
his presence was necessary to secure the fruits of his perfidy. 
With his characteristic rapidity, he crossed the Pyrennees ac- 
companied by a brilliant army, and immediately commenced 
a series of operations which the unskilful Spaniards were 
unable to resist. The generals of the patriots could never be 
Induced to act in concert, they were consequently overpowered 
in detail, and the English general. Sir John Moore, who had 
advanced to their assistance, was forced to retreat towards Co- 
runna. 30. The greater part of Spain was thus again sub- 
jected to its new king, Joseph, who was, however, nothing 
more than his brother's deputy ; and Buonaparte having for 
once seen a British army retreating before him, returned to 
Paris. Marshal Soult hung close on the rear of the English 
army during their disastrous retreat, until at length Sir 
John Moore perceived that it was impossible to em- ^ArJ. 
bark without either a convention or a battle. He did 
not hesitate in his choice; on the 19th of January, he attacked 
ihe French with so much vigour that they were compelled to 
retreat. The British were consequently permitted to embark 
without molestation, but their heroic commander had fallen in 
the arms of victory. He was buried at night on the field of 
battle. 



Questions. 

1. What nations now^ entered into a coalition against Franca ? 
S. Did Austria act consistently and prudently ? 



'WS HISTORY OF FllAiNCE. 

3. With what rash proceeding did the Austrian governmeU 

begin the war ? 

4. What plan did the French adopt? 

5. How did both armies succeed ? 

6. How was the battle of Austerlitz won ? 

Wnat were the consequences of this signal victory' 

8. Did the French suffer any defeat in another quarter ? 

9. How does it appear that Prussia did not profit by the example 

of Austria ? 

10. What led to the battle of Jena? 

11. Was it followed by any calamitous results? 

12. Did any ally join the Prussians ? 

13 Where did the two armies come to an engagement? 

14. How was the war terminated ? 

15. In what manner did Napoleon endeavour to ruin the English 

commerce ? 

16. Did the king of Sweden join in this war? 

17. Why did the British government send an armament against 

Denmark? 

18. How did it succeed? 

19 In what manner was the internal government of France 

managed ? 

20 What was the state of the court of Spain ? 

21. Did they unite with Napoleon in any enterprise? 

22. Whither did the prince regent of Portugal retire? 

23. What circumstances afforded Napoleon a pretext for inter* 

fering in the affairs of Spain? 

24. How did he treat the Spanish royal family? 

25. What effect did this perfidious conduct produce in the penin- 

sula? 

26. Did the Spanish patriots obtain any military success? 

27. Who commanded the English expedition to Portugal? 

28. How was Sir Arthur Wellesley prevented from reaping the 

fruits of his victories ? 

29. In wl at manner did Napoleon behave ? 

30. What was the event of the battle of Corunna ? 




Wellington. 



THE EMPIRE. 



3b3 




The Retreat from Moscow. 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE EMPIRE, CONTINUED, 

The feign'd retreat, the nightly ambuscade, 

The daily harass, and the fight delay'd, 

The long privation of tlie hoped supply, 

The tentless rest beneath a frozen sky, 

The stubborn wall that mocks the leaguer's art. 

And palls the patience of his battled heart. 

Of these they iiad not dream'd. 

Bthon. 

1 We mentioned in the .ast chapter that Napoleon 
returned from Spam without completing, as he in- iqqq' 
tended, and probably might have accomplished, the 
entire subjugation of that country. The cause of this change 
■n his plans Was the news that reached him of the prcbability 
of a new war with Austria, which still smarted under the de- 
gradation of its iate defeat, and was eager to retrieve the 
power and possessions of which it had been deprived. The 
war was begun and ended in one campaign ; it was com 



384 HISTORY OK FRANCE. 

nienced without the form of a dedaration, and the combatants 
exhausted all the wiles of diplomacy to throw on each other 
the blame of the first airaression. The Austrians be^an as 
before by invading Bavaria, and taking possession of Munich, 
which the king was obliged to abandon at their approach. 
2. But Napoleon's arrival changed the face of things. Witti- 
out delaying at Paris, he hurried from Spain to Germany, and 
by his superior skill was enabled to attack the divisions of the 
Austrian army separately, and beat them in detail. Finally, 
the battle of Wagram, fougnt almost under the walls of 
Vienna, completely broke up the Austrian pow^r, and left the 
country and its sovereign at the mercy of Napoleon.* 

3. It was naturally to be expected that the temerity of the 
Austrian emperor would be punished by his deposition, but to 
the surprise of all Europe, the terms on which peace was con- 
ceded were far from being severe, and some persons began to 
speak of the moderation of Buonaparte ! The secret of this 
leniency and of the protracted negociations at Schoenbrunn, 
the palace of the Austrian emperor near Vienna, will be ex- 
plained in the sequel. 

4. In the Peninsula, Sir Arthur Wellesley, who had been 
again sent out to take the command, expelled the French from 
Portugal, and having pursued them into Spain, obtained a 
glorious victory at Talavera on the 28th of July .t But being 

* Tlirougliout the entire of Germany, a determined spirit of popu- 
lar resistance was manifested against the French; colonel Schill 
though wholly unauthorized by his government, raised a small but 
gallant army in Prussia; the duke of Brunswick at the head of a 
few faithful followers, became formidable in the north of Germany, 
and Hofer at the head of the Tyrolese peasantry, emulated the ex- 
ploits of the Swiss mountaineers in the middle ages. But the total 
<lefeat of the Austrians made all their exertions ineffectual. Schill 
perished in a sortie from Stralsund ; the didce of Brunswick, with 
difficulty, escaped on board the English fleet; and the Tyrolosa 
patriots, ungratefully deserted by the Austrian government, were 
yiven up to the vengeance of the French, who treated them not as 
enemies but as rebels. Hofer was shot as a traitor: he died wi(t> 
firmness worthy of the cause which he had supported. 

•f The British government, instead of sending out forces suffieieut 
to eipel the French from the Peninsula, which at that time thfy 
might have done, dispatched an expedition to the coast of Flanders 
uudei the command of the earl of Chatham, an old and incompetea' 
general. They obtained possession of Flushing, but there their sue 
cess terminated. The judicious measures of Bernadotte prevented 
Iheir farther advance, the unwholesome marshes of WalcliP^ren pro- 



THE EMPIRE. 385 

jnaUe to resist the united forces of the French he was obliged 
to retire within the Portuguese frontier. The Spanish armies 
were every where beaten, but the country was no where sub- 
dued ; the strao^gling soldiers and peasantry formed them- 
selves into small bands called guerillas, which cut off the 
French convoys, massacred the stragglers, and left no part of 
the country subject to their sway, except that actually occu- 
pied bv their military posts. 

5. In the north of Europe a strange revolution took place; 
Gustavus Adolphus IV., king of Sweden, had engaged in a 
war with Russia, to which his resources were wholly inade- 
quate ; in consequence, he was deprived of the province of 
Finland, and this loss so irritated the Swedish nation, that they 
at once deposed their sovereign, excluded his children from 
the succession, and elected the duke of Sundermania, the uncle 
of Gustavus, first regent, and afterwards king. 

(j. In the south the pope was stripped of his dominions, 
and sent a prisoner to France ; an event which some years 
before would have set the whole south of Europe in a flame, 
but which, on the present occasion, only produced secret hos- 
tility and a concealed desire of vengeance. 

7. The secret of the negociations at Schoenbrunn 
was at last discovered, and it surprised all Europe, loin 
Napoleon, seeing that Josephine was childless, and 
anxious to strengthen his power by an alliance with the old 
royal families of Europe, had resolved on divorcing this faith- 
ful companion, and in some degree the principal cause of his 
fortunes, in order to marry the archduchess Maria Louisa, 
daughter to the emperor of Austria. 8. The marriage was 
celebrated with extraordinary splendour, and was at the time 
looked upon as the greatest security to the throne of the 
French emperor. But in reality it weakened the foundation 
of Napoleon's power, for it blighted the hopes which some of 
the French marshals must have nourished, and it irritated all 
those attached to revolutionary principles throughout Europe, 
who looked on the reigning house of Austria as the worst 
enemies to the freedom and happiness of the human race. 

9. The annals of the peninsular war, carried on with con- 
summate skill by Sir Arthur Wellesley, who had been created 



rliicsd a fever almost as fatal as a plague, and at lengMi, having 
Buffered immense loss, the inglorious expedition returned to Eng 
land, after an useless sacrifice of human life, which ought never to 
be r'?membered without shame and sorrow. 

33 Z 



386 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Lord Wellington, belong to the history of England r,ither«than 
that of France ; suffice it to say, that notwithstanding some 
brilliant victories, the English general was compelled to retreat 
into Portugal before the superior forces of Massena. The 
Portuguese destroyed every thing that could affonl shelter or 
sustenance to the invading army, and Wellington having 
placed his army in the impregnable lines of Torres Vedras, 
which covered Lisbon, quietly waited the time when famine 
would compel Massena to retire. 

10. Louis Buonaparte, king of Holland, had displeased his 
imperial brother, by conniving at the importation of English 
merchandise ; he was therefore deprived of his dominions, 
which, together with the old Hanseatic territories, were united 
to France. IL This new insult to northern Germany was 
allowed to pass without remonstrance ; Prussia was too much 
weakened by recent misfortunes, and Sweden had lately cho- 
sen for its sovereign a general of France. The prince of 
Augustenburgh, who had been recognised as heir to Charles 
XIIL (duke of Sundermania), died suddenly, and the diet 
chose as his successor Charles John Bernadotte, a French 
general distinguished above his compeers for honourable and 
humane conduct. They probably designed by this choice to 
conciliate the favour of Napoleon, but to him the choice was 
far from being agreeable, for he was jealous of Bernadotte, 
whose fame had been established before Buonaparte had been 
placed at the head of affairs. 

12, The birth of a son seemed to make the happi- 
.A-.^ ness of Napoleon complete; he was immediately pro- 
' claimed successor to the empire, with the title " king 
of Rome," and all the vassal sovereigns of Europe sent am- 
bassadors to congratulate the emperor on this event. Even 
the degraded royal family of Spain had the meanness to join in 
this act of homage, thus showing that they almost merited their 
fate by succumbing to the author of their ruin, 13. But 
amid all his pomp and power. Napoleon could not but discern 
the signs of an approaching storm; the diplomatic intercourse 
with Russia had begun to assume a very angry character; 
the English had completed the conquest of all the French and 
Dutch colonies in the east, the Spanish guerilla warfare was 
continued with unceasing pertinacity, and Massena was forced 
to retreat from Portugal. The military skill displayed by 
Massena in this retreat has been always praised, but the abo- 
minable atrocities committed by the French soldiery, and 
sanctioned by their commander, will be remembered with 



THE EMPIRE. 387 

horror to ihe latest posterity. Lust, rai)ine, and cruelty per 
petrated every crime that such diabolical passions could prompt 
and ferocious violence execute ; Portugal remained free, but 
it remained a desert. 

14. The emperor of Russia had foreseen from the 
moment' of the Austrian alliance, that it would be iJ-io 
scarcely possible for him to avoid hostilities with 
France ; the necessities of his country had compelled him to 
relax the severity of the Berlin decrees, and connive at a com- 
mercial intercourse with England; and he well knew that to 
thwart Napoleon's favourite project of excluding British manu- 
factures from the continent, was the surest means of provoking 
his inveterate hatred. All the statesmen who had in early 
times possessed the confidence of Napoleon, had remonstrated 
in vain against a war with Russia ; Talleyrand, Fouche, and 
his uncle, cardinal Fesch, tried their influence with the em- 
peror in vain; confident in his resources and his fortune, he 
mocked at their forebodings, and acted as if victory was al- 
ready secure. 15. It must be confessed that the military 
power then possessed by the French emperor in some degree 
rendered his confidence excusable ; he had a disposable force 
exceeding half a million of men, a greater number than had 
ever been commanded by any European sovereign, and far 
exceeding any that the limited resources of Russia would 
allow her to bring into the field ; his soldiers were accustomed 
to triumph, his generals had proved their courage and conduct 
in many glorious fields, and all the states of the European con- 
tinent, save Russia itself and the Peninsula, were his tributa- 
ries and auxiliaries. Swedish Pomerania and the island of 
Rugen were occupied by the French troops early in January, 
probably because Napoleon had reason to suspect the designs 
of Bernadotte ; soon after, a treaty was concluded with Prus- 
sia, by which that power, much against iis will, was obliged 
to assist the French with 20,000 men ; Austria had previously 
agreed to send 30,000 under prince Schwartzenberg. 

16. On the 16th of May, Napoleon arrived at Dresden, 
where the emperor of Austria, the kings of Prussia, Naples, 
Wirtemberg, and Westphalia, together with all the minor po- 
tentates of Germany, had been ordered to meet him. Having 
figured there for some time as the undisputed king of kings, 
he broke up his court, sent back the empress to France as re- 
gent, and proceeded to Dantzic, where negociations were con- 
tinued for a fortnight longer. 

17 On the 22d of June, Napoleon published a declaration 



388 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

of war. whose proud and confident tone was powerfully con 
trasted with the modest and affectionate address to his subjects 
which Alexander published in reply. Before conrimencing 
the Russian campaign, we shall just take a glance at the 
events that occurred during this yearat the Peninsula. 18. 
Early in spring, Wellington made himself master of the strong 
fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo, and Badajoz. He then followed 
JVlarmont to Salamanca, where he defeated the French army, 
on the 22d of July, with immense loss. In consequence of 
this victory, the English army were enabled to march upon 
Madrid, in the confident expectation that such brilliant exploits 
would rouse the whole Spanish nation to one simultaneous ex- 
rtion. But the pride and bigotry of the Spaniards took fire 
at the idea of submitting to an Englishman, the French were 
permitted to concentrate their forces, which more than doubled 
the number of the English, and Wellington leisurely retired 
with his troops to the frontiers of Portugal. 

19. The Poles had anxiously hoped that Napoleon would 
have restored their independence, but his connection with Aus- 
tria prevented him from performing an act of justice so advan- 
tageous to his interests ; had he done so, the enthusiasm of a 
nation eager to regain its freedom might probably have changed 
the event of the war. But this golden opportunity was lost, 
and the Poles, who hated the Austrians at least as much as 
the Russians, viewed the contest with sullen indifference. 

20. Warned by the fatal examples of Austria and Prussia, 
the Russians resolved to imitate the line of conduct which 
Wellington, with such brilliant success, had pursued in Por- 
tugal ; they retreated before the enormous masses of the invad- 
ing army, deliberately destroying their magazines, and laying 
waste the country. The first design of Napoleon was to 
march directly on St. Petersburg, and in his way seize the 
Russian fleet at Cronstadt ; but the obstinate defence of Riga, 
the garrison of which was strengthened by the sailors of the 
English fleet, compelled him to change his plan, and advance 
in the direction of Moscow. The Russians retired before the 
advancing army, fighting wherever a favourable opportunity 
was afforded, but not venturing to hazard a regular engage- 
ment. On the 16th of August, the French arrived before 
Sniolensko, which the Russians seemed at first determined to 
defend ; three times was the place assaulted, and as often were 
the French repelled, but during the night the garrison set fire 
to the town, which was almost totally consumed, and retreated 
lo the army beyond the river. 



THE EMPIRE. 380 

21. ll became now extremely difficult to persuade the Rus- 
sian soldiers to continue their retreat ; they were eager to take 
vengeance on the invaders of their country, and there was 
Bome reason to dread that checking their enihusiasm would be 
attended with fatal consequences. At the same time, also, 
Barclay de Tolly, who had hitherto held the supreme com- 
mand, was appointed to the war-ministry at St. Petersburg, 
and the veteran Kutusoff, the darling of the Russian soldiers, 
sent to the army in his room. A strong position between Bo- 
rodino and Moskwa, on the high road to Moscow, was at length 
selected by the Russian general, and there he resolved to gratify 
his troops by giving them an opportunity of meeting their in- 
vaders. 22. After some preliminary skirmishing, a dreadful 
battle was fought on the 7th of September, which lasted the 
entire day. The Russians fought with unparalleled despera- 
tion ; peasants, that until that day had never seen a hostile 
army, rushed hke furies on the disciplined battahons of the 
French ; as they fell before the unbroken lines, others rushed 
to supply their places, and seemed eager in pursuit of death. 
At the close of the day the French gave over their attacks ; 
both sides claimed the victory, but though no less than 80,000 
men lay dead on the field, neither could claim a triumph. 
When the subordinate generals had presented Kutusofl' with 
their reports of the state of their several divisions, he saw that 
from the extent of his losses it would be inexpedient to risk 
another engagement, he accordingly retired slowly, leaving the 
road to Moscow open to the enemy. 23. Shortly after, it was 
resolved not to attempt any defence of that capital, which the 
Russians venerated as the Jews did Jerusalem, or the Mahom- 
, medans Mecca; its garrison, accompanied by the principal in- 
habitants, withdrew from the devoted city in mournful silence. 

24. On the 14lh of September the French army came with- 
in sight of Moscow, and were surprised that no civic deputa- 
tion appeared to present them with the keys of the city ; this 
was explained when they had effected an entrance, lor they 
found that all, except the very lowest of the population, had 
deserted their habitations. The French army dispersed them- 
selves in plundering parties, and as usual committed frightful 
excesses. During the night the town was found to be on fire, 
but the flames were got under, and Napoleon prepared to take 
measures for the government of the city. 25. But on the. 
follow^ing night a dreadful conflagration burst forth, Russian 
emissaries had disposed combustibles in several places ; the 
water-pipes were cut and rendered useless, the fires broke out 
33* 



tJ90 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

in parts the most distant, and it soon became, erident that no- 
thing could save Moscow from the fiite of Smolensko. During 
four days the city continued to burn with unabated violence, 
until four-fifths of the houses were totally consumed. 26. 
Napoleon, who saw his army thus deprived of all chance of 
winter-quarters, and exposed at once to the severities of cold 
and famine, attempted to negociate with the Russian govern 
ment, but had the mortification to find that all his advances 
were rejected. However, he still continued to linger at Mos- 
cow, though dangers were aggregating around him with fear- 
ful rapidity, until at length the defeat of Murat roused him 
from his lethargy, and he resolved to retreat towards Poland 
by a route dififerent from that by which he had advanced. 
Moscow was totally evacuated on the 22d of October ; multi- 
tudes of sick and wounded were left to the mercy of the Rus- 
sians, and yet the French army was encumbered with thou 
sands of waggons laden with the plunder of the city. 

27. Kutusoff seems to have divined the intentions of Na 
poleon, and baffled them by taking up a strong position on the 
line of march. The French advanced to Malo-Yaraslevetz, a 
town in front of the Russian position, and took possession of it 
■without resistance ; but that night they were assaulted by the 
enemy and driven beyond the river. The next day was spent 
in a succession of obstinate contests, during which the town 
five times changed masters. Finally the French prevailed, 
but their victory was useless, for they found the position of 
the Russian army impregnable. Some precious time was 
wasted in vain attempts to force a passage, but they were un 
avaihng, and the Russian army which had occupied Moscov , 
began now to send out its Cossacks, who severely harassed 
the French rear. It became manifest that the retreat of the 
army must be continued through the country which their ad- 
vance had exhausted, 28. On the 28lh of October the cala- 
mitous march began, and at every step they met some new 
disasters ; the Cossacks, under their Hetman, Platoff, hovered 
around the army, breaking down the bridges before them, 
charging the rear at every opportunity, cutting ofl^ stragglers 
and intercepting straggling parties ; the army of Kutusoff was 
moving in a line parallel to the route of the French, while twt 
other Russian divisions pressed upon the rear. On the 6th of 
November a new enemy appeared; a Russian winter of un 
paralleled severity set in with all its horrors. The train of 
artillery, and the waggons which had been brought from Mos- 
tow were abandoned, the horses, badly fed, were unable ta 



THE EMPIRE. 391 

support the cold and fatig-ue, they sank and stiffenea by thou- 
sands ; all discipline was banished except from a few battalions 
kept together to protect the rear by the personal exertions of 
marshal Ney ; the rest dispersed themselves over the fields, 
and many sunk to rise no more ; others were swept away by 
the Cossacks. 29. In this deplorable plight they reached 
Smolensko, where they hoped to find some respite from their 
woes, but that town had been, as we have seen, almost de- 
stroyed by the Russians ; its roofless houses and blackened 
walls afforded but little shelter, its exhausted magazines sup- 
plied no food. The retreat v.'as continued, but the Russians 
now made several desperate assaults on the different French 
divisions, and every where defeated them. Ney, however, 
managed to preserve the shattered remnant of his battalions, 
by passing over the thin ice that had just formed on the 
Dnieper ; the waggons containing the wounded attempted 
to pass over this frail bridge, but the ice broke, and the wag- 
gons sunk amid the shrieks of the wretched sufferers, and the 
groans of their helpless comrades. 

30. The grand army, which had hiustered 120,000 men 
when lenving Moscow, hardly exceeded a tenth of that num- 
ber when it was joined by the divisions of Victor and Oudinot, 
who, though defeated by Wittgenstein, still mustered about 
50,000 men. Had the Russians taken advantage of their vast 
superiority, and poured their united forces on the retr'?ating 
army, a messenger would not have escaped to convey the 
news of their ruin to France. 31. The passage of the Bere- 
sina was one of the most fearful scenes in this series of horrors, 
though the Russians, by the most culpable negligence, did not 
avail themselves of the opportunity of preventing it altofjether 
The divisions of Wittgenstein and Platoff arrived on the 
heights commanding the rear, before the army had completed 
Us passage. W^hen the Russian cannon opened on the crowd 
assembled on the bank, eager to place the river betweep them- 
selves and the enemy, it produced a scene of indescribable 
confusion. Men, women, horses, waggons, rushed in one 
mass, to the larger bridge ; the weight was too great for its 
frail timbers, it broke, and the muhitude were at once precipi- 
tated into the half-frozen stream. The universal shriek which 
announced this calamity was heard loud and clear above he 
roar of artillery and the hurrahs of the Cossacks. The re 
maining bridge stood firm, but the crowd that hurried over it& 
narrow planks under the dreadful fire of the Russian artillery 
fell into the stream by hundreds, swept away by the fierce 



992 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ihower of shot, or thrown over by their comrades.* Victor, 
who had gallantly maintained his post, led his division over 
the bridge by night and then set it on fire, abandoning to their 
fate his wounded soldiers, and the attendants of the camp. 

32. The remainder of the retreat was equally disastrous; 
entire companies were frozen to death, or cut off by the inde- 
fatigable Cossacks, who, as their leader observed, " killed 
many, but made few prisoners." It is, however, painful to 
dwell on these horrors, of which the most vivid description 
would convey but a faint idea. On the 5th of December, 
Napoleon having learned that a conspiracy for the subversion 
of his government had been formed in France itself, hastily 
abandoned his army, and having narrowly escaped being 
made prisoner, arrived at Warsaw, from whence he proceeded 
to Paris. 

33. The French were driven from Poland by the Cossacks, 
and at length the miserable remains of this mighty host took 
shelter in the dominions of Prussia, where they were hospita- 
bly received by the inhabitants, who generously forgot thfe 
oppression to which they had been subjected, when they saw 
the miserable state to which their oppressors had been reduced. 

34. The losses of the French in this disastrous campaign 
have been variously estimated ; but the following list will be 
found tolerably accurate. Of the invading army there were 

Slain in battle 125,000 

Died of fatigue, famine, and cold . 132,000 
Taken prisoners 193,000 

Totalloss 450,000 

Among the prisoners were forty -eight generals, and nearly 
three thousand regimental officers. The Russians captured 
also seventy-five eagles and standards, together with ne5»rl;y 
& thousand pieces of cannon. 



Questions. 

1. What nation now attaclced France ? 

2. How did the Austrians succeed ? 

3. Was Austria severely punished for her rashness? 

• The Russians declare that when the ice of the Beresina broke 
np in the following year, 36,000 dead bodies were discovered in di» 
bed ot the river. 



THE EMPIRE. 393 

4 In what manner was the war carried on in Spain ? 

5 Did any revolution take place in Sweden' 

6. Ho^w was the pope treated by Napoleon? 

7. To whom was Napoleon now united in marriage 7 
a. What w^as the efl'ect of the Austrian match? 

9. Why did Wellington retire to the lines of Torres Vedras 7 

10. Did Napoleon ill-treat any of his brothers? 

11. On whom was the succession of the Swedish crown con- 

ferred ? 

12. By what event was the happiness of Buonaparte increased t 

13. Did the French meet reverses any wheie ? 

14. How did the war witli Russia originate? 

15. What was the condition of Napoleon's power at the com 

mencement of the war ? 

16. Where did Napoleon assemble his allies? 

17. When did he commence the war? 

18. What took place in the Peninsula during 1812? 

19. Of what great error was Napoleon guilty in his treatment of 

Poland ? 

20. How did the Russians resolve to conduct the war 7 
21 Where did the armies come to an engagement? 

22. What were the circumstances of the battle of Borodino? 

23. What was tlie consequence of the retreat of the Russians? 

24. In what situation did the French find Moscow ? 

25. Did any conflagration take place ? 

26. Were they compelled to evacuate the city? 

27. How were the French forced to retreat by the road on whici 

they had advanced ? 

28. What calamities did the French suffer in this retreat? 

29. For what is the passage of the Dnieper tnemorable? 

30. By whom was the retreating army reinforced? 

31. To what evils were the French exposed in passing tlieBeresinal 

32. How did Napoleon escape ? 

33. Whither did the remains of the grand army retire ? 

34. What was the total loss of the French in this campaign T 




394 



HISTORY OF FRAISCE. 




CHAPTER XLI. 
THE EMPIRE, ^CONTINUED. 



Farewell to the land where the gloom of my glory 

Arose and o'ershadow'd the earth with her name- 
She abandons me now — but the page of her story, 

The brightest or blackest is filTd with my fame. 
I have warr'd with a world which vanquish'd me only 

When the meteor of conquest allur'd me too far. 
I have coped with the nations that dread me thus lonely- 

The last single captive to millions in war. 

BlRON 

1. The arrival of Napoleon in Paris announced lo 
A' n the French nation the great misfortune by which they 
' had been overtaken ; but their confidence in the for- 
tune of the emperor was not yet shaken, and the most amaz 
ing exertions were made throughout France for the com 



THE EMPIRE. 395 

mencement of a new campaign. 2. It was soon known that 
the Prussians had joined the alliance with Sweden and Russia ; 
and that the patriotic exertions of the people to supply 
resources for the war, exceeded the demands of their sove- 
reign. Napoleon, undaunted by calamities, soon found him- 
self at the head of 350,000 men, and hasted to Germany, with 
a confident hope that a battle such as Jena or Austerlitz would 
again make him the master of Europe. 3. On the 18th of 
April, Napoleon joined his army and advanced to meet the 
allies in Saxony. The activity with which he had repaired 
his losses was a powerful contrast to the negligence of his 
opponents ; in fact, the Russians had not brought half their 
disposable forces across the Vistula, while Napoleon had 
raised a new army and equipped them for the field. The 
allies were now outnumbered and defeated in two desperate 
battles ; but the French gained nothing by the victory, no 
cannon or prisoners were taken. 

4. Perceiving all the obstacles which he had to encounter, 
Napoleon began now to entertain some thoughts of peace ; an 
armistice was agreed on in June, and conferences were opened 
at Prague under the mediation of Austria. 5. They continued 
until the 10th of August, but produced no effect, for the French 
emperor would not forego his usurpations in Spain and Italy, 
neither would he consent to restore the independence of Ger- 
many. It was in vain that his ministers represented to him 
the danger of arming all Europe against his person ; it wa< 
in vain that Austria gave unequivocal proofs of her determina- 
tion to join the allies; Napoleon persisted, until it was too 
I'lie to retrace his steps. 6. On the 10th of August, Austria 
joined the allies ; the French emperor, alarmed by the news 
which he had received from Spain, attempted to renew the ne- 
gociations, but the allies would no longer listen to his offers. 

7. It was late in May when Lord Wellington commenced 
his last and most glorious Spanish campaign. The French 
retreated before him until they had concentrated their forces, 
under the command of marshal Jourdan and Joseph Buona- 
parte, at Vittoria. On the 21st of June, the English having 
possessed themselves of some heights previously occupied by 
the French, a general engagement ensued. The English 
gained a complete victory, their enemies retreated so rapidly, 
that they abandoned all their baggage and artillery ; one hun- 
dred and fifty pieces of cannon, with more than four hundred 
waggons of ammunition, fell into the hands of the conquerors ; 
the vanquished army, after sufilsring severely m their retre^it, 



396 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

escaped into France, whither the victors were preparing m 
follow them as soon as they had reduced the forlresses, which 
it would be dangerous to leave in iheir rear. 

8. On the recommencement of hostilities, the allies resolved 
to drive the French fVom their advanced positions on the right 
bank of the Elbe, as well as in Lusatia and Silesia. They 
succeeded in the attempt, and soon after occupied the heights 
above Dresden, in which city Napoleon had fixed his head- 
quarters. On the 27th of August, the allies made a rash at- 
tempt on Dresden, in which they were defeated wiih consi- 
derable loss. On this occasion, general Moreau, who had come 
from America to assist his old companion, Bernadotte, was 
killed. 9. The allies retreated across the mountains that sepa- 
rate Saxony from Bohemia, vigorously pursued by marshal 
Vandamme, with a division of the French army ; but Van- 
damme's rashness proved fatal, he was forced to surrender 
with 10,000 men, his artillery and baggage, to the armies of 
Russia and Prussia, by which he was surrounded. 10. The 
arrival of Bernadotte with the Swedish army restored the su 
periority of the allies, and at the same time they learned that 
the king of Bavaria had acceded to their coalition, and placed 
65,000 men at the disposal of the Austrian government. After 
a series of complicated movements, the allies so far prevailed, 
that Napoleon, with his faithful friend, the king of Saxony, 
was forced to retire from Dresden to Leipsic. 

11. The conduct of Napoleon in the last great struggle for 
the empire of Europe, was worthy his former fame. He drew 
up his forces in a circle round Leipsic, so as that each might 
mutually support the oiher, while the allies occupied a parallel, 
and, of course, a wider circle, which their successes enabled 
them daily to contract. On the 15th of October, the emperor 
delivered eagles to some new regiments which had just joined 
him; it was an imposing ceremony; "the soldiers knelt be- 
fore the emperor, and in presence of all the line ; military mass 
was performed, and the young warriors swore to die rathei 
than witness the dishonour of France. Upon this scene the 
sun descended ; and with it the star of Napoleon went dowq 
for ever." 

12, On the 16th, 17th, and 18th, the position of the French 
was vigorously attacked, and as obstinately defended ; but the 
numerical superiority of the allies was too great to be resisted, 
and Buonaparte found himself obliged to command a retreat, 
On the morning of the 19th, Napoleon took a sad farewell of 
nis ally, the king of Saxony, and quitted the city round whose 



THE EMPIRE. 397 

v^alls the battle was raging with fury. The Saxons now de- 
serted the French and turned their cannon on the retreating 
army ; marshal Macdonald and Poniatowski, however, still 
gallantly protected the rear; but a new calamity rendered all 
their efforts unavailing. Orders had been given to blow up 
the bridge over which the army retreated as soon as the pas- 
sage was completed, but the officer to whom that business was 
entrusted, terrified at the approach of the allies, fired the mine 
long before it was needed, and 25,000 Frenchmen, thus left 
at the mercy of the enemy, suntadered themselves prisoners 
of war. 

13. The retreating army were severely harassed by the 
irritated peasantry in their flight; but they cut their way 
through the Austro-Bavarian army, who attempted to inter- 
cept them. This was, however, only a temporary relief; the 
retreat became at last a rapid flight, and it was with difficulty 
that the shattered remains of the second grand army escaped 
across the Rhine. 

14. The battle of Leipsic was followed by a crowd of im- 
portant events in such rapid succession, that men had scarce 
time to express their astonishment at one, when they heard 
intelligence of another still more surprising. The confedera- 
tion of the Rhine crumbled to pieces in a moment; Hanover, 
Brunswick, Hesse, returned under the sway of their heredi- 
tary rulers; and Holland in one simultaneous burst of popular 
loyalty threw ofT the yoke of France, and invited the stadt- 
holder to return from his long exile in England. 

15. Equally disheartening was the intelligence that Napo- 
leon received from Italy and Spain. The Austrian general 
Hiller had defeated the viceroy of Italy, the English were 
masters of the Adriatic, and Murat was entering into negocia- 
tions with the Austrians against his brother-in-law and bene- 
factor. Even in France itself, parties hostile to the emperor 
began to be discovered. The royalists prepared for the resto- 
ration of the exiled Bourbons, and some of the old leaders of 
the revolution began to hope that the republic might yet b<9 
restored. 

16. The calamities which France had inflicted on 
other nations, were now about to be severely retaliated 1014 
on herself. Early in January, two armies under the 
command of Blucher and Schwartzenberg passed the Rhine, 
and masking the fortresses along the river, advanced boldly 
into the country. The superior skill of Napoleon enabled 
him to inflict several severe checks on the. advancing 'brces, 

34 



308 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

who did not advance in sufficient union. 17. But these suc- 
cesses were the ruin of the emperor, for they 1-ed him to break 
off abruptly the conferences for peace which had commenced 
at Chatillon, and the alhes, justly indignant at his insincerity, 
sternly rejected all future attempts at negociation. 18. In the 
south of France, Wellington appeared with the soldiers that 
had delivered Spain ; no popular resistance was made to his 
march, every effort of Soult's army to retard his progress was 
defeated. Bourdeaux had been taken, and the Bourbons were 
proclaimed by the people. 19. The French emperor still 
undauntedly maintained himself under all these evils; but in 
an ill-omened hour he placed his army in the rear of the allies; 
and thus left the road to Paris open. On the 30th of March, 
the division of the French army assigned for the defence of 
Paris were drawn up in line on the heights that covered the 
city, defended by one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon. 
The allies attacked them with great vigour, and Marmont and 
Mortier resisted the assault with equal spirit, but the force of 
numbers prevailed, and long ere night the heights v?ere in 
possession of the allied forces. Joseph Buonaparte, to whom 
the defence of the capital had been entrusted, fled, anA Mar 
mont, seeing all further resistance useless, signed a capitulation. 
20. On the 31st of March, the allied army entered Paris in 
triumph, and were received with the loudest acclamations. 
They acted not as conquerors but as friends, and declared them- 
selves hostile not to the French nation, but to Napoleon. By their 
invitation the senate was assembled and a provisional govern- 
ment established, at the head of which Talleyrand was phced. 
Soon after the senate decreed the deposition of the emferor, 
and proclamations in the name of the old royal family were 
everywhere distributed. In the meantime, Buonaparte hnving 
discovered the designs of the allies, resolved to make a vigor- 
ous effort to save his capital; he hasted back with his ?rmy, 
but on the road he learned that he was too late ; he retired to 
Fontainbleau, receiving at every step news of the deffction 
and treachery oi his mmisters and generals. After a vain 
attempt to have the crown transferred to his son, on the 11th 
of April, Napoleon signed a formal instrument, "renouncing 
for himself and heirs the thrones of France and Italy." On 
the very same day, a glorious but useless victory was obtained 
by the English, under lord Wellington, at Thoulouse; it is 
not certain how the news of the capture of Paris was delayed, 
sr whether marshal Sou It deserves to be blamed for this use* 
le?!S effusion of blood ; on the 14th, hawever, the tidings of 



THE EMPIRE. 

pe&ee leached both camps, and hostilities were immediately 
suspended. 

21. The sovereignty of the island of Elba, with a consi- 
derable pension, was settled on Napoleon ; the duchies of Par- 
ma and PJacentia were settled on Maria Louisa and her heirs ; 
and pensions were granted by the French government to Jo- 
sephine, and other members of the Buonaparte family. This 
faithful though deserted woman did not long survive the fall 
of her beloved lord ; she died of a broken heart before the 
allies had left France. 

22. On the 3d of May, Louis XVIIL entered Paris, where 
he was received with every demonstration of joy, and France 
soon after received a constitution, founded on the principles of 
rational and moderate liberty. On the 30th of the same 
month the articles of a general peace between France and the 
allies were signed at Paris, and thus at length the tranquillity 
of Europe seemed finally secured. 



Questions. 

1. How did Napoleon behave on his return to Paris? 

2. With what new enemy had he to contend ? 

3. How was the campaign commenced 7 

4. Under whose auspices were efforts made to negociate a 

peace ? 

5. Why were they broken off? 

6. What was the consequence of Buonaparte's persevering in 

his exorbitant demands? 

7. How was the campaign of 1813 conducted in Spain? 

8. What reverses did the allies experience before Dresden? 

9. Did they not soon after obtain some advantage 7 

10. Whither did Napoleon transfer his head-quarters from Dres- 

den 7 

11. How did the French emperor behave in this crisis of his for 

tunes? 

12. What were the circumstances of the battle of Leipsio? 

13. Did the retreating army sufft-r much? 

14. What consequence did the battle of Leipsio produce in Hol 

landl 
»5 Did any other events adverse to Napoleon occur about the 
same time ? 

16. How did the allied armies act imprudently? 

17. Why were these successes injurious to Napoleon? 

18. What events took place in the south of France? 
1-9. How was Paris taken? 

20. What events followed the capture of Paris ? 

21. How were Napoleon and his family provided frrf 
32. When were the articles of peace signed? 



400 



HISTORY OF FRAN(JE. 




Napoleon's Return from Elba. 



CHAPTER XLII. 



THE HUNDRED DAYS. 



And Harold stands npon tliis place of skulls, 
The grave of France, the deadly Waterloo! 
How, in an hour, the power which gave annuls 
Its gifts; transferring fame as fleeting too! 
In pride of place here last the eagle flew. 
Then tore with bloody talon the rent plain ; 
Pierced by the shaft of banded nations through, 
Ambition's life and labours all were vain; 
He wears the shatter'd links of the world's broken chain. 

Btroit. 

1. The sudden change from a fierce war to a pro 
■,^^~ found peace produced so great a revolution in the 
' difierent European stales, that their attention was 
engrossed with their domestic affairs, and France, with the 
illustrious exile in Elba, seemed for a time to be forgotten 
There were, however, causes in operation which threatenea 
to make this tranquillity of but brief duration. The prisoners 
of war W'ho returned from the different countries of Europe 



THE HUNDRED DAYS. 401 

sould not conceive how their comrades had been so easily de« 
fealed ; the army, maintained in full strength, were displeased 
to find themselves under the control of an indolent and peace- 
ful prince, instead of the enterprising leader, who had so often 
led ihem on to giory and plunder; there was a mutual jealousy 
between the nobility of the royal and imperial courts; and 
many of the returned emigrants began to speak openly of 
restoring the same order of things which had existed before 
the revolution. Joachim Murat, who had been permitted to 
retain the throne of Naples, became rather suspicious of the 
sentiments with which he was regarded by the allied sove- 
reigns ; and finally the French government, with equal folly 
and injustice, withheld the stipulated pension from Napoleon. 
During the winter of 1814, Sir Neil Campbell, the British 
resident at Elba, became aware that some plan for the restora- 
tion of the deposed emperor was in agitation, and frequently 
sent intimations on the subject to his government, which ap- 
pears not to have given these warnings the attention that they 
merited. 

2. Ambassadors from the different European powers were 
assembled in congress at Vienna, when they were astounded 
with the intelliorence that Buonaparte had landed at Cannes, 
on the coast of Provence, on the morning of the 1st of March. 
The entire number of forces which Napoleon brought with 
him to invade France did not amount to one thousand men ; 
he narrowly escaped from the English cruisers and a French 
man-of-war. But he relied on the magic of his name, and the 
devoted attachment of the army, to restore to him once more 
all that had been lost. The success was as astonishing as the 
attempt. The soldiers every where united themselves to their 
beloved chief; most of the marshals hasted to renew their 
allegiance to the emperor, and before the end of a month, 
Napoleon, almost without firing a musket, found himself 
master of all France. 

3. When the news of these events reached the congress at 
Vienna, a proclamation was issued, declaring that "the Em- 
peror Napoleon had placed himself beyond the pale of society, 
and that as an enemy and disturber of the tranquillity of the 
world, he had rendered himself liable to public vengeance." 
A. treaty was at the same time concluded, by which Austria, 
Russia, Prussia, and England engaged each to maintain 
150,000 men in arms, until Buonaparte should either be de- 
throned or reduced so low as no longer to endanger the repose 
of Europe. 4. The exertions made by the French to oppose 

34 * 2 A 



402 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

this powerful confederacy, were truly amazing ; the campaigns 
of 1812, 18, and 14, had almost annihilated their cavalry and 
artillery, and yet they were in the short space of two month? 
able to collect a brilliant body of horse, and to procure a park 
of artillery sufficient for the fearful encounter. 5. In the mean 
time, Murat hasted to his ruin ; he placed himself at the head 
of the Neapolitan army, and advancing through Italy, called 
on the inhabitants to throw off' the yoke of Austria. The 
Austrian general in Lombardy at once assembled his forcea 
and advanced against Murat; the cowardly Neapolitans fled 
almost at the sight of an enemy, and Murat, finding himself 
unable to retain his kingdom, fled for refuge to France. But 
fresh mortifications awaited him there : Buonaparte, indignant 
at the desertion of his brother-in-law in 1814, refused to receive 
him in Paris. After remaining some time in obscurity at 
Toulon, Murat proceeded to Corsica, from thence he sailed to 
the Italian coast to make an efTort for the recovery of his king- 
dom ; but his little band was defeated, he himself taken 
prisoner, and soon after shot, pursuant to the sentence of a 
military commission. He died as he had fived, with un 
daunted bravery, and Napoleon afterwards said more than 
once, that the fate of the world might have been changed had 
Murat headed the French cavalry at Waterloo. 

6. The forces of the English and Prussians were in the 
meantime rapidly concentrating on the Belgic frontier; the 
head-quarters of Blucher were at Namur, and those of the 
duke of Wellington at Brussels; the Austrians were known 
to be advancing through the north of Italy, Spanish troops al- 
ready occupied the passes of the Pyrennees, and the Russians 
were fast hastening to the scene of action. Napoleon saw 
that it would be injudicious to hazard another campaign in 
France, and hoped that by striking suddenly some great blow, 
he might break up the great European confederacy, and pro- 
bably be enabled to dictate the conditions of peace. 7. On the 
1st of June, a species of national assembly, called Ze champ 
de Mai, was held, in which the new constitution of the French 
empire was ratified with great pomp, but with httle sincerity,- 
ten days after, Napoleon quitted Paris to place himself at the 
head of his army; saying, as he entered the carriage, "I go to 
measure myself against Wellington." 8. On the 15th of 
June, Napoleon drove in the Prussian outposts, and assaulted 
Charleroi ; Ziethen, the Prussian general, held out against the 
immense disparity of force until the alarm had been commu 
nicated to all the other divisions, and then coolly retired on 



THE HUNDRED DAYS. 403 

Ligny, where Blucher was concent-aling his forces. 9. So 
totally unexpected was the rapid advance of Napoleon, that on 
the evening of the 15th most of the Enghsh officers were at a 
ball given by the duchess of Richmond at Brussels, when the 
distant roar of cannon interrupted their festivities. The drum 
beat, and the bugle sounded at midnight; long before the 
dawn, Sir Thomas Picton, who had only that night arrived 
from England, was advancing with his division on Q,uatre-bras. 
10. On the 16th, at noon, the French emperor, with the main 
body of his forces, commenced a furious attack on Ligny, 
while Ney assaulted the English at Q,uatre-bras. The battle 
of Ligny was long and fierce ; the intense animosity between 
the Prussians and French gave the combat the character more 
of personal than national hostility ; quarter was neither asked 
nor given, each seemed more anxious to destroy his enemy 
than to save himself. At length Blucher became convinced 
of the necessity of retreating ; one division of his array under 
Bulow was absent, and his troops were weakened by succes- 
sive charges of the French, in one of which the veteran was 
himself dismounted, and rode over both by friends and enemies 
without being recognised. 

11. At Q,uatre-bras, the English, after a fierce engagement, 
m which the gallant duke of Brunswick was slain, remained 
masters of the field ; but the retreat of the Prussians rendered 
the victory unavaihng, and Wellington, in order to preserve 
his communication with Blucher, retired on Waterloo. 

12. The retreat occupied the greater part of the 17th ; on 
the evening of that day, the English, amid torrents of rain, 
took up their station on a rising ground about a mile and a 
half in front of the httle town of Waterloo. They were drawn 
up in a convex line, which dropped off at the extremity towards 
the forest in their rear ; the chateau and gardens of Hougou- 
mont, and the farm-house of La Haye Sainte were strongly 
gaiTisoned, and formed the outworks of their line of defence. 

13. The morning of the 18th was rainy and tempestuous, 
when Buonaparte, having ascended the opposite hill of La 
Belle Alliance, for the first time saw before him the army of 
the only European general whose fame rivalled his own 
Time was the most important object with both generals, for 
Wellington knew that victory was certain if he could only hold 
out until the Prussians came up. About noon the French 
commenced the battle by a tremendous cannonade, and under 
cover of the fire made a furious attack on Hougoumont ; their 
leader was unable to carry the chateau, and masking the post. 



404 HISTORY OF FRANCy. 

pushed forward against the British right. The Eiighsh formed 
in squares, and resisted all iheir efforts; after a protracted 
struggle, the French were forced to retire, and the little garri- 
son of Hougoumont was relieved and strengthened. 

14. The second attack was made on the British centre by 
a numerous body of cuirassiers, and four columns of infantry. 
The French cavalry were met in mid career by the English 
heavy horse, and soon forced to retire behind their artillery ; 
the English having followed too far, were charged in their 
turn by fresh troops, and driven back with considerable loss; 
among others, the gallant Sir T. Picion was slain. 15. The 
French infantry had in the mean time taken La Haye Sainte, 
and forced in some Belgian regiments, but being attacked in 
front by general Pack's brigade of foot, and on the flank by a 
body of heavy cavalry, they were routed with great loss, and 
compelled to fly, leaving behind them 2,000 prisoners and two 
eagles. At the same time they were forced by a heavy shower 
of shot and shells to evacuate La Haye Sainte. 

10. The third assault was made on the British right, where 
the infantry, drawn up in chequered squares, like those of a 
chess-board, and protected by a battery of thirty pieces of can- 
non, awaited the onset of the French cuirassiers. The artil- 
lerymen were driven from their guns, and the cavalry rode 
furiously on the British squares ; these steadily waited until the 
enemy were within ten yards of them, and then poured in a 
volley so close and deadly that the cuirassiers were forced to 
give back. These devoted men renewed their onset several 
limes with fearful desperation ; they rode between the squares, 
forced their horses up to the very points of the bayonet, but 
the English line could not be broken, and the close cross-fire 
of the squares almost annihilated these fearless cavaliers. 

17. The battle had now lasted seven hours, three desperate 
charges had failed to break the British ranks, their wings had 
also graduall}' advanced, forming now a concave line ; the, 
heads of the Prussian columns began to be seen through the 
wood, and Napoleon saw that on one great effort depended the 
fate of his empire. He formed his favourite soldiers, the im- 
perial guard, into two columns, and entrusted these, who had 
not yet shared in the battle, to the guidance of Ney, telling 
them that if they charged boldy success was certain. 18. 
Previous to this a fierce cannonade had been kept up on the 
British line, but the soldiers, by Wellington's directions, lay 
apon their faces, and thus its deadly effect was much dimin- 
ished As the charging columns advanced, the English rose. 



THE HUNDRED DAYS. 



405 




THE HUNDRED DAYS. 407 

and forr.,jng into a line four deep, poured on their front and 
flank a deadly shower of musketry, which never ceased for a 
moment. Under this heavy fire the French columns vainly 
attempted to deploy into line ; they halted for the purpose, 
wavered, and fell at otjce into remediless confusion. 19. 
Welhngtcn seized the decisive moment to charge ; some un- 
broken battalions of the French guard for a moment seemed 
to oppose a formidable obstacle, but they waited not the attack 
of the British bayonet ; with indescribable agony Napoleon 
saw these his last hope, reel, break, and mingle with the mass 
of fugitives which lately was an army. 

20. The Prussians had now come up, and continued the 
pursuit of the broken army with terrible efTect; the English 
halted almost on the bloody field, quite spent with the fatigues 
of this arduous and long-contested fight. They had indeed 
won a brilliant victory, but it was dearly purchased by the 
loss of 600 officers, and 15,000 men killed and wounded. 

21. Napoleon returned to Paris, and soon found that the 
army were his only friends in France ; in vain he appealed 
to the chambers, he was a second time forced to sign his abdi- 
cation, and a provisional government was at once appointed. 
Had Napoleon at once attempted his escape to the United 
Slates of America, he would probably have succeeded ; but 
he lingered, hoping that some chance might yet appear in his 
favour. When at length he arrived at Rochfort, he found the 
coast blockaded by the British cruisers, and found it impos- 
sible to carry out his design of escaping beyond the Atlantic, 

22. On the 15th of July, he surrendered himself to Cap- 
tain Maitland of the Beilerophon, and on the 24th he arrived 
in Torbay. After some delay he was informed that the allied 
sovereigns had resolved to send him as a prisoner to S:. He- 
lena. Thither he was sent, and there he died on the 5th of 
May 1821. We are too near the time and the scene of this 
great man's career, lo form an impartial estimate of his char- 
acter and conduct; but no stronger proof could be given of the 
reverence in which his memory is held by his former subjects, 
than the fact, that after a lapse of nearly twenty years they 
sent an expedition, commanded by a son of the reigning mon- 
arch, to bring back the emperor's remains in order that they 
might be interred in the capital of France. 

23. The battle of Waterloo put an end to the war ; a 
military convention was concluded, according to which the 
allies took possession of Paris, and the French army retired 
behind the Loire. Louis XViH. was once more restored Co 



408 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the throne of his ancestors; but unfortunately, he adopted 
harsher measures against the adherents of Napoleon than were 
prudent, or perhaps justifiable, and thus increased the discon- 
tent and dissatisfaction of the nation. The allies did not treat 
France with the forbearance which they had exhibited in the 
preceding year ; they exacted a contribution to defray the ex- 
penses of the war; they compelled the restoration of thos* 
works of literature and art which the French had wrested from 
copquered countries; they, took possession of several fortresses 
on the frontiers, and stationed an army of occupation in the 
country to prevent any insurrection of the people. 



Queslions. 

1. What circumstances contributed to bring about a renewal of 

war ? 

2. With what forces did Napoleon invade France ? 

3. How was this attempt viewed by the European sovereigns? 

4. In what way did the French prepare to meet the allied sove- 

reigns ? 

5. What became of Murat? 

6. In what directions were the allied armies preparing to invade 

France ? 

7. When did Buonaparte leave his capital? 

8. How did the campaign commence? 

9. Did the English expect this rapid advance ? 

10. How did the battle of Ligny terminate? 

11. Which side was successful at Quatre-Bras ? 

12. What mancEuvres occupied the 17th of June? 

13. How did the battle of Waterloo commence ? 

14. What success had the cavalry in the second charge? 

15. How were the infantry met and repelled? 

16. What was the success of the French in their third effort? 

17. In what situation was the British army after having repell'irf 

the cuirassiers ? 

18. How did the imperial guard advance to the charge? 

19. Was any advantage taken of their confusion? 

20. By whom was the pursuit continued? 

21. How was the war terminated ? 

22. What became of Buonaparte ? 

2). How did the allies behave to the conquered French J 



THE RESTORATION. 409 



Louis XVIIl. 

CHAPTER XLIIL 

THE RESTORATION, AND REVOLUTION OF 1830. 

" France gave a crown and half a heart." M. C. 

1. France was in a verj'' unhappy condition, after the re- 
storation of Louis XVIII. ; tlie great body of tiie nation might 
have been contented vvith the king, but he was surrounded by 
persons whose counsels were justly suspected of a tendency 
to despotism. The royah'sts seemed resolved to make an ex- 
treme use of the victory which the allies had won for them, 
and to destroy every vestige of constitutional freedom. The 
appointments to the magistracy, and to the National guard, 
were taken from the people ; so that the force which ought to 
have been constitutional, became the mere instrument of a 
party. The partisans of ultra-royalty were closely allied with 
the more violent portion of the French clergy, and under their 
influence several outrages were committed against the pro- 
testants in various parts of France ; and even when govern- 
ment was forced to interfere, the murderers were allowed tc 
35 



410 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

escape unpunished. The nobility possessed almost a i.^onopniy 
of the executive power, and they employed it to deprive the 
people of the franchises and privileges ceded by the charter. 
In addition to this, the accusations for treason and sedition 
brought against all who opposed the government, the violence 
of the clerical missionaries, who profaned religion to advance 
political purposes, and the intrigues at the elections for de- 
puties, diffused feelings of general dissatisfaction through the 
nation. 

2. The accession of France to the " Holy Alliance," at the 
congress of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818, engaged the government 
in a system of policy, designed to secure the power of monarchs 
throughout Europe ; but a considerable body of the French 
deputies resisted the extension of the royal prerogative, and 
Decazes, the prime minister, supported by the moderate 
royalists, endeavoured to frame a system which would 
strengthen the monarchy, without injuring the constitution. 
He was, however, fiercely opposed by the ultras or violent 
royalists, and an unfortunate event gave them a temporary 
triumph. The duke of Berry was assassinated by a pohtical 
fanatic named Louvel, Feb. 13th, 1820, and the ultras, or 
"the extreme right," as they were called, from the part of the 
chamber which they usually occupied, denounced Decazes 
for encouraging doctrines subversive of the monarchy. These 
accusations produced a sensible efTect on the court, if not on 
the chambers, and Decazes resigned. He was succeeded by 
the Due de Richelieu, and a ministry was formed of tht 
warmest adherents of monarchical power. 

3. Laws were passed, giving the minister the power cf 
arresting suspected persons, imposing consorship on the press 
and raising the qualifications for the elective franchise ; but 
even these violati.ons of the charter did not satisfy "the ex- 
treme right," and they joined "the left," or liberal party, in 
strenuous efforts to eject the Richelieu ministry. The debates 
in the chambers were fierce and stormy, often indeed quite 
unbecoming the dignity of a deliberative assembly, Richelieu 
resigned his office, Dec. 17th, 1821, and was succeeded by a 
ministry still more violently royal : the dissatisfaction of the 
nation was shown by countless plots, conspiracies, riots, and 
incendiary fires, which were made the pretext for fresh laws 
of restriction. 4. Villele, the head of the new nimistry, re- 
solved to send a French army into Spain, for the purpose of 
restoring the king to the power of which he had been deprived 
by the Cortes ; but he was opposed by a party, which niofe 



THE RESTORATION. 411 

.han compensated for its weakness in numbers, by talents, ex- 
perience, and influence wiih the people. Tiie royalist majo- 
rity, however, showed itself so very unscrupulous, by rejecting 
a memoer for revolutionary doctrines without allowing him to 
make any defence, that "the left side" quilted the house in a 
body, and the funds for the Spanish war were voted without 
opposition. 

5. The French army crossed the Pyrennees and met with 
little opposition from the Spaniards, who had little money in 
their exchequer, less valour in their soldiers, and no wisdom 
in their counsels. Cadiz alone made an attempt at resistance, 
but was finally compelled to capitulate, and king Ferdinand 
was restored to absolute power. The monarchical principle 
was thus established in the person of a Bourbon, and the go- 
vernment at the same time acquired some popularity with the 
army; but it is doubtful whether the services rendered to le- 
gitimacy were not dearly purchased by the heavy expenses of 
the campaign. 

6. Scarcely had the Spanish campaign thus favourably ter- 
mmated, when the nation was alarmed by the increasing illness 
of the monarch, who, though not very generally revered, was 
still far more popular than his brother, the heir to the crown. 
Ele lingered for several months, enduring his disease with 
great firmness and resignation ; at length he expired, Sept. 16, 
1824. Louis XVin. possessed much natural sagacity and a 
highly cultivated mind ; but during his long exile he had be- 
come enfeebled by age and disease : he did not understand the 
change which had been wrought in the character of the people 
of France during his banishment; and he wanted firmness of 
character to resist the ultras, of whom it was said, with equal 
severity and justice, that during their exile " they had forgotten 
nothing and learned nothing." 

7. Charles X., formerly count of Artois, succeeded his 
brother, and won at first much favour by consenting to abolish 
.he censorship of the press ; but he continued to retain Villele 
at the head of the administration ; and, at his coronation, he 
revived many of the old superstitious usages which Louis had 
wisely abandoned. Under the new reign Villele brought for- 
ward two very unpopular measures ; one granting an indem- 
nification to the families of those emigrants whose estates had 
been forfeited during the revolution, and another reducing the 
rate of interest on the public debt. The laws were carried, 
but not without great opposition. Some concession, however, 
was made to public opinion by acknowledging the independ 



112 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




eiice of Hayti, and opening commercial intercourse with the 
South American republics. At the same time coipmercial 
treaties were concluded with Great Britain and the empire of 
Brazil. 

8. In 1826 Villele strengthened his ministry by creating 
thirty-one new peers. He endeavoured to establish the aris- 
tocracy on a permanent basis, by reviving the laws of primo- 
geniture and entail ; but the former was so odious to the great 
body of the French nation, that it was rejected by the chamber 
of peers. Public attention was chiefly engaged by the trial 
of Ouvrard, who had furnished the supplies for the French 
army when it invaded Spain. The terms of his contract were 
exorbitant, and he succeeded in effecting it by extensive 
bribfery ; he had also joined in drawing double rations and 
double pay for the soldiers employed in the campaign. When 
Villele first heard of the transaction, he caused Ouvrard to be 
arrested and brought to trial ; but in the course of the investi- 
gation it appeared that many persons of great rank and influ 
ence were implicated in the transaction, and the minister in- 
duced the peers to bring the matter to a speedy conclusi:)n. 
The abuses, however, which had been detected, were already 
made public, and the attempt to screen the guilty, combined 
with the illegal protection given to the Jesuits, exposed the 



THE RESTORATION. 413 

minister to public and not unmerited reproaclies. The disso- 
lution of the national guard, the revived censorship of the 
press, and several harsh measures used in dispersing popular 
assemblies, completed the ahenation of the Frencli from the 
minister. Villele felt that he was losing ground, and he there- 
fore dissolved the chamber, though three years of its time were 
unexpired. At the same time he created no less than seventy- 
eix new peers, an act utterly inconsistent with the spirit if not 
the letter of the constitution. 

9. The result of the elections disappointed Villele ; a liberal 
majority was returned, and the king himself seemed to aban- 
don the principles of "the holy alliance," by congratulating 
the chambers on the victory of Navarino, and expressing him- 
self favourable to the hberties of Greece. Soon afterwards he 
accepted M. Villele's resignation, and appointed a more liberal 
ministry, of which M. Portalis was the most distinguished 
member. 

10 The new ministry had no elements of strength : it was 
violently opposed by " the extreme right," by the clergy, whom 
the law of sacrilege had filled with hopes of recovering their 
former supremacy, and secretly by many of its own professed 
adherents. After a struggle of a year and a half, M. Portalis, 
hated by '^f the right," and suspected by "the left," found his 
embarrassments increasing so fast, that he was compelled to 
resign, but not until he had procured for himself the presidency 
of the court of cassation, the highest judicial office in France. 

11. On the 9th of August, 1829, the ministry, which finally 
proved fatal to the reigning branch of the house of Bourbon, 
was formed. Its principal members were prince Polignac, 
who in his youth had been implicated in Pichegru's conspiracy, 
and owed his life to the clemency of Napoleon, Since 1833, 
he had been ambassador to the court of London, and he always 
professed a predilection for England, though he did not con- 
ceal his dishke of the democratic part of its constitution. Next 
to him was count Bourmont, who deserted Napoleon on the 
field of Waterloo, and found his treachery profitable after the 
restoration. Baron Montbel, a zealous supporter of the clergy, 
was naa.ed minister of the interior ; and M. D'Haussey, re- 
markable only for his ignorance and his conceit, received the 
charge of the navy. From the very outset, this unfortunate 
cabinet was assailed with unrelenting hatred by the leading 
liberals of France, both privately and pubhcly. The minis- 
ters were accused of having formed fixed plans for the sub- 
version of liberty and the re-estabhshment of despotism, and 
35* 



414 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the nation was summoned to guard the franchises which it had 
gained by the long struggles of the revolLiiion. Poh'gnac and 
his associates were not daunted ; they hoped thai the declara- 
tion of war against Algiers would divert the attention of the 
nation from the constitutional struggle at home ; and without 
waiting to calculate the elements of their own strength, they 
opened the parliamentary session with a declaration, which 
rendered a violent contest between the royal and constitutional 
parties inevitable. 

12. The king's speech to the chambers, March 2d, 1830, 
contained the following significant threat: "If guilty intrigues 
should throw any obstacles in the way of my government, 
which I cannot and will not anticipate, I should find force to 
overcome them, in my resolution to preserve the public peace, 
in the just confidence I have in the French nation, and in the 
love which they have always evinced for their kings." There 
was a considerable majority in the chamber of deputies against 
the ministers; the address, in answer to the royal speech, 
frankly declared that a concurrence did not exist between the 
views of the government and the wishes of the nation, and 
with equal firmness and prudence warned the king: "Sire, 
France does not wish for anarchy any more than you do for 
despotism." The king, on the other hand, declared his deter- 
mination to support his ministers, and, to prevent further dis- 
cussion, prorogued the chambers to the 1st of the following 
September. 

1.3. In the mean time, the French expedition against Al- 
giers sailed, and soon reached Africa. Algiers was captured 
with little loss, the treasures of the Dey became the reward 
of the conquerors, and since that period the city and its de- 
pendent territory has remained in the possession of the French. 
14. In May the king dissolved the chambers, and addressed 
a justificatory proclamation to the electors, which was one of 
the most reprehensible public documents yet issued by the 
ministry. It insulted the nation, it libelled the majority of the 
late chamber, and it stated the claims of royally with an ab- 
surd extravagance, which would have disgraced school-boys. 
The only effect this document produced, was to destroy what- 
ever little popularity the ministers had gained by the conquest 
of Algiers ; in consequence, the elections went against the 
crown, and a majority of opposition members again appeared 
ready for the field. 

15. Bigotry is equally violent and blind, and nothing biU 
tigotry was the characteristic of the king, his ministers, and 



THE REVOLUTION OF 1830. 4J5 

of the whole court party. Polignac was resolved to subvert 
ihe constitution, but he wanted talent to act the despot : the 
wickedness of his proceedings is in some degree hid by their 
clumsiness and stupidity. On the 2Bth of July three ordinances 
appeared ; the first annulled the late elections, the second 
suspended the liberty of tlie press, and the third, on the royal 
authority, established a new electoral system. So infatuated 
were the men who perpetrated such outrages against all con- 
stitutional government, that they seem not to have anticipated 
any resistance, and made no preparations even for quelling 
ordinary tumults. It was late in the day when the ordinances 
became known, but the consequences became apparent in 
rapid surcession : the bank refused discounts, the chief manu- 
facturers closed their works and discharged their workmen ; 
the editors and conductors of journals met, and published their 
resolutions not to obey the laws ; Polignac's windows were 
broken, but the mob soon dispersed. 

16. On the morning of the 27th, the agents of police seized 
the types and broke the presses of the refractory journalists ; 
and as the latter did not in every instance quietly give way, 
crowds rtrady for tumult were collected around the offices. 
The signs of commotion were hourly increasing in violence, 
but they escaped the notice of the king and his ministers. 
Charles went to enjoy a hunting excursion with the dauphin ; 
and Polio;'nac gave a splendid dinner to his colleagues. As 
evening approached, the efforts of the police to maintain order 
became more and more ineffectual ; recourse was had to the 
military, which had been placed under the command of 
Marshal Marmoni, and some smart skirmishes took place, in 
which the citizens were defeated. 

17. When the soldiers returned to their barracks, Polignac 
A'as congratulated on his victor)'^ ! He went tranquilly to rest, 
as did the rest of the royalists, in full confidence that the whole 
business was arranged. The citizens spent the night far 
differently ; arms were procured, barricades erected, the na- 
tional guard revived and formed into companies, and all the 
insignia of royal authority removed from shops and offices. 
The ministers had limited their operations to issuing a new 
ordinance declaring Paris in a state of siege. 

18. On the morning of the 28th, the citizens commenced 
the struggle bj'^ raising the tri-coloured flag in every direction ; 
they carried with little loss the detached guard-houses, the 
arsena., the powder magazine, and began to menace the 
Pcdais Royal. It was twelve o'clock before Marraont, wh(^ 



416 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



waited Jn '.jopes of some conciliatory offers from the court 
'I'hich vould have soothed the insurgents, reluctantly led hia 
soldiers to the fight. He ordered the troops to clear circuits 
of streets, Dividing them into four columns; and every step 
taken by each of these divisions was fiercely and steadily dis- 
puted by the people. After a day of hard fighting the soldiers 
returned to their barracks, where no provision had been made 
for their refreshment; while the combatants, on the other 
side, where cheered with every luxury that the citizens of 
Paris could command. During the day 'Marmont wrote to 
the king, that the disturbances were assuming a dangerous 
and revolutionary aspect, but he received no answer until 
night, and was then directed to persevere ; some of the lead 
ing liberals also sought an interview with Prince Polignac 
but were refused admittance. 

19. On the morning of the 29th, hostilities were renewed 
with great fury, but with no decisive result until noon, when 
the fifth regiment of the line entered into a treaty of neutrality 
v.-ith the populace, and abandoned its position. The citizens 
seized the advantageous post, and the guards made an effcrj 




Bevolution of 1830. 



THE REVOLUTION OF 1830. 417 

to recover it ; during the struggle two regiments of the lina 
openly joined the populace, and Marmont was thus forced to 
consent to a sort of armistice. Before, however, it could be 
arranged, the citizens stormed the Louvre and Tuilleries, frona 
the windows of which they opened a murderous fire on the 
Swiss and the royal guards. These brave men, weakened by 
hunger, disgusted by neglect, fatigued by extraordinary exer- 
tions, outnumbered and disadvantageousJy posted, could make 
no long resistance ; they effected their retreat with some difil- 
culty, and at three o'clock in the afternoon the revolution at 
Paris was completed, and the city left quietly in the possessioa 
of its armed and triumphant citizens. 

The deputies who had come to Paris were fortunately suffi- 
ciently numerous to organize a provisional government. 20. 
They decreed, that the national guard should be organized and 
placed under the command of the marquis La Fayette ; and 
on the 30th of July they took the decisive step of inviting the 
duke of Orleans to place himself at the head of the govern- 
ment, under the title of lieutenant-general of the kingdom. 
Charles now recalled his ordinances, but it was too late ; he 
resigned his crown, as did the dauphin his rights, in favour of 
the duke de Bordeaux, son of the late duke of Berri ; but no 
notice was taken of his proceedings, farther than to intimate 
that his personal safety would be endangered by a longer resi' 
dence in France. He set out on his second exile, accompa- 
nied by his family, and on the 17th of August landed in Eng- 
land. He took up his abode for a short time in Holyrood 
palace, near Edinburgh, after which he removed to Germany, 
where he soon sunk into neglect and oblivion. 

2L In the meantime the French chambers assembled, and, 
after some debate, the crown was conferred on the duke of 
Orleans, under the style of " Louis Philippe I., king of the 
French." 



Questions. 

1. In what condition was France after the Restoration ? 

2. From what events did the ruin of the Decazes rainistjy aris« 1 

3. What ministerial changes led to the appointment of Villelf ' 

4. How were the funds for tlie Spanish war carried? 

5. What was the result of the Spanish campaign? 

6. Describe the character of Louis XVIIL 

7. How did Charles X. excite suspicion at his accession 7 
8 What were the leading events of Villele's ministry 



.18 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



9. Why did Villele resign? 

10. How did the Portalis administration terminate? 

11. \^lio were the leading members of the Polignac admini6tn»- 

tion ? 

12. By what event was a contest between the royalists and 

liberals forced on 1 

13. How did the French succeed in Algiers? 

14. Did the conquest of Algiers influence the French elections? 

15. What were the ordinances issned by tlie Polignac ministry? 

16. Hj)w did the Revolution of July commence in Paris? 

17. Was there any want of foresight on the part of the royalists 
IS. Describe the events of the 2Sth of July? 

19, What events on the 29th turned the balance in favour of th« 

people ? 

20. How was a provisional government organized? 
81. To whom was the French crown ^iven ? 




VsuMtt. 



LOUIS PHILIPPE I. 



419 




Louis Philippe. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 



LOUIS PHILIPPE 1.— REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, I818. 



Then came a deeper, dreader sound. 

Crash echoed crash so loud and fast, 

We deemed a whirlwind swept the ground, 

Crushing the forests as it passed ; 

And quaked the earth: and luridly 

Coursed the swift lightning through the sky. 

Hirst. 

1. Unfortunately for France, too many of her sons had 
hrown themselves into a revolution without knowing or caring 
for principles. The middle class, or bourgeoisie, had called 
loudly upon the lower ranks of the people to support the 
charter against the tyrannical ordonncnces of Charles X.; Du'. 
when the monarchy was overthrown, when their aid was nc 
longer essential, they were expected to relapse into their tor- 
mer state. At the same time, the bourgeoisie looked with 



420 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

hatred and jealousy upon the peerage, and sought to conceti 
irate all the political power of the stale in themselves. There 
were some among them, however, of more liberal ideas 
MM. Duponl de I'Eure, LafBite, and others, were thorough 
republicans, and Louis Philippe himself professed the most 
liberal sentiments, saying publicly on one occasion, "T am but 
a bridge to arrive at a republic." But his real feelings were 
with Mm. de Broglie and CTuizot, who opposed concessions 
of freedom to the people, desired to fortify the royal preroga- 
tive, and considered the revolution as having' been effected 
only for the re-establishment of the charter. Some of the most 
zealous of the repubficans, undeceived by the professions of 
the new sovereign, and deeming themselves betrayed by his 
election, felt disposed to unite with another class of the people, 
composed chiefly of unoccupied and discontented young men, 
Avho declaimed against what they termed the treachery of 
Louis Philippe, and longed to engage all Europe in a war of 
opinion. The separation of the church from the state tended 
to alienate the affections of the clergy from the new throne, 
and the partisans of the Buonapartes and of the exiled royal 
family were severally engaged in intrigues for the promotion 
of their favourite objects. Amid all these elements the throne 
of the king of the French stood for a long time tottering, sup- 
ported by a doubtful union bet\veen royalists and bourgeoisie, 
maintaining its ascendency by hollow concessions, and only 
developing itself by artifice. 

2. The capture of the ministers of the late king gave the 
severest trial of the strength of the new government. The 
king made no effort to seize these delinquents, and would have 
gladly suffered them to leave the country; but four of them 
were detected at a distance from Par.s as they were endea- 
vouring to escape under false passports, and hurried by zealous 
patriots to the capital. The government was forced to send, 
them for trial to the chamber of peers, where they were con- 
demned to perpetual imprisonment and civil death, and speed- 
ily removed to a distant prison. But the excitement produced 
by their arrest was made the means of inciting the most formi- 
dable riots in the capital, which all the firmness of the national 
guard could not succeed in quieting until the third day after 
the trial. 

3. The republicans of the capital w^ere too violent in theii 
measures, the feelings of man}'' of them amounting to fanati- 
cism. Frequent attempts to assassinate the king, made by 
half insane persons, who, when brought to trial, openly derided 



LOUIS PHILIPPE I. 42i 

a.l constituted authority, and who were identified by I's ene- 
mies with the republican parly, brought discredit upon it, and 
caused it to remain silent. The Carlisis, or partisans of the 
exiled family, also injured their cause by an insurrection in 
the south of France. It was immediately suppressed by the 
government. The duchess de Berri, whose son, the duke of 
Bordeaux, was the legitimate heir to the crown, landed in La 
Vendee for the purpose of heading the royalists in that pro- 
vince. Such preparations had been made, however, that on 
landing she found her partisans disheartened, and their 
movements so closely watched, that it was impossible for them 
to assemble in any force. She resolved, nevertheless, to per- 
severe, but her enterprise resolved itself into a series of insig- 
nificant attacks. The duchess was betrayed by one of her 
followers into the hands of the government, five months after 
her landing, and thrown into prison. Here it was discovered 
that she was pregnant, having been secretly married some time 
before her arrest. This circumstance threw an air of ridicule 
over her enterprise, and her partisans became quiet. 

4. While these events were occurring in the south of France, 
the funeral of General Lamarque aflxjrded an opportunity for 
an outbreak in Paris, which lasted five hours, and was attended 
with gn A loss of life. 

5. The energy with which the government interfered in the 
affairs of Belgium, compelling the Dutch garrison in the citadel 
of Antwerp to capitulate, thus transferring the fortress immedi- 
ately to the Belgians, gained for it a degree of popularity at 
home greater than it had hitherto enjoyed. 

0. On the 20lh of September, 1833, Ferdinand, king of 
Spain, died, leaving his crown to his daughter, who was pro- 
claimed at Madrid. A rebellion in favour of Don Carlos, the 
late king's brother, immediately broke out, and insurrections 
agitated the country for several years. France joined with 
England, Spain, and Portugal, in what was called the Qua- 
druple Alliance, for supporting the rights of the infant queen. 
On the 22d of April, 1834, France agreed to guard the frontiers, 
to prevent the Carhsts from receiving aid by land ; England 
blockaded the coasts, and Portugal was to assist the queen 
with troops, if necessary. But Louis Philippe secretly suffered 
Don Carlos to travel from London through France to Spain 
without informing his minister, Marshal Soult, who regarded 
this treatment as an indignity. He therefore retired from the 
nnnistry, and was succeeded by Marshal Gerard, who pursued 
the same policy as his predecessor. The frequent insurrections 
86 



422 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

nad filled the prisi. ns of ihe country, and Marshal Gerard at 
tempted to have a general amnesty granted for all political o{' 
fences, which, being disapproved by the king, he retired from 
the cabinet, October 1834. This step led to the formation of 
an entirely new ministry, of which Guizot and Thiers were 
the leading members. This ministry did not possess the con 
fidence of the chambers, and it was dissolved in the following 
February. The opposition to this ministry was chiefly mani 
fested by the refusal of the chambers to provide for the pay 
ment to the United States of twenty-five millions of francs, 
indemnity for spoliations committed on American commerce 
during the reign of Napoleon, according to the provisions of 
a treaty made in 1831. The hostile attitude assumed by 
President Jackson speedily brought the refractory deputies to 
terms, and the new ministry succeeded in carrying an act pro- 
viding for the payment of the amount required. 

7. On the 28th of July, in the year 1835, the king pro- 
ceeded in the company of a most splendid retinue to review 
the troops of the line, and the national guard, under arms in 
Paris. Suddenly a terrific explosion took place from a ma 
chine in the window of a house adjoining the street the royal 
cortege was traversing, which killed or wounded upwards of 
forty persons, among the foremost of whom was Marshal Mor- 
tier. The king himself, wnth three of his sons, who weie 
with him at the time, escaped almost miraculously. He be- 
haved with the utmost bravery, riding calmly along to the end 
of the line, and then returning oi'er the scene of the catas- 
trophe to complete the review. The contriver of this " infer- 
nal machine" was a Corsican named Fieschi, who was imme- 
diately seized. He assigned no other motive for his act than 
hatred of the king, and no evidence could be found implicat- 
ing any party or sect in his guilt. The ministry, however, 
attempted to make capital out of the occurrence, and succeeded 
at the next session of the chambers in passing three laws ; one 
directed against the press; another allowing jurors to vote by 
ballot, and providing that a mere majority should in future be 
sufficient to convict, instead of two-thirds, as had hitherto been 
customary ; and a third providing for the constitution of courts 
of assize, and the treatment of contumacious prisoners. By 
ihese measures the libeities of the people were more restricted 
than they had been since the abdication of Napoleon. 

8. In the commencement of the year 1836, the minister of 
finance reported a continued deficit in the revenue, and sug- 
g'ested the propriety of meeting it, either by increasing thtr 



LOUIS PHILIPPE I. 423 

tax, or by reducing the interest on the public debt from five 
to tbree per cent. Out of consideration for the capitalists, who 
held r.he greater part of the debt, and supported him and his 
measures, the king preferred the increase of taxation ; the 
chambers, however, were unwilling to impose new burdens 
upon the people, and a change in the ministry was the con- 
sequence. 

9. On the 25th of June, 1836, a third attempt Avas made 
upon the life of the king, as he was leaving the Tuilleries in 
his carriage, by an enthusiastic republican named Alibaud, 
who was guillotined on the 11th of July. He narrowly 
escaped death in December of the same year at the hands of 
an assassin named Meunier, who was sentenced to death, but 
afterwards banished. 

10. The cabinet of Marshal Soult had been succeeded by 
one under Thiers, February 1836, who boldly supported the 
republic of Cracow, the dey of Tunis, and the queen-regent 
of Spain. But the re-estabhshment in Spain of the constitu- 
tion of 1812 caused thf. king to refuse his consent to the plans 
of his minister, and Thiers was succeeded in his ministry in 
September, by Count Mole, who endeavoured to promote 
peace with foreign powers, and internal tranquillity. Many 
of those imprisoned for political offences were pardoned ; among 
them the ex-ministers of Charles X. This course probably 
led to an attempt by Louis Napoleon Buonaparte, a nephew 
of the emperor, to excite an insurrection at Strasburg, October 
29th. It was immediately suppressed and the young prince 
sent to America. He returned to Europe, however, and took 
up his abode in Switzerland, whence the French government 
attempted to expel him. To avoid involving that country in a 
war on his account, he voluntarily quitted it. On the 6th of 
August, 1840, he again landed in France, at Boulogne. As- 
suming uniforms and provided wiih weapons, he led his 
friends into the town, carrying his hat on the point of his 
sword, while his followers shouted vive Vempereur! in the 
hope of inducing the troops stationed in the town to join 
them. Some of these, being told that a revolution had taken 
place, and that Louis Philippe was dethroned, were about to 
put themselves under the command of the prince ; when their 
captain awaking, rushed out of his quarters, and restored order 
among his men by his shouts of vive le roil The prince fired a 
pistol at him and wounded a private soldier; but by this time 
the people began to take notice of the confusion, and to side 
with the garrison ; several of the prince's party were soon in 



424 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

prison, and the rest, with their leader, attempted to escape by 
swimming to the steamboat which had brought them. Boatj 
were pat out after them, and the prince, with many of the 
fugitives, were captured and securely lodged in the castle of 
Boulogne. He was sentenced to imprisonment for life in the 
fortress of Ham ; whence, however, he escaped in the yeai 
J847, and has since given in his adhesion to the French 
republic. 

Simultaneously with this last attempt, another event oc- 
curred of great interest to the French people. 

11. From the moment of the overthrow of Charles X., the 
wdent desire of the French to bring back the remains of Na 
poleon from their exile at St. Helena, began to be manifested 
Numerous petitions were presented to the government, pray- 
ing that the necessary steps should be taken to have the 
warrior's ashes restored to the nation, but for ten years no 
notice was taken of these requests; fears being entertained 
that the popular enthusiasm, which the presence of the relics 
of the emperor could not fail to excite, would inspire the people 
with the design of reviving the dynasty, and placing one of 
the Buonaparte family on the throne of France. On the ac- 
cession of Thiers to the prime ministry, however, the subject 
was brought before the cabinet, and it was resolved to accede 
to the popular desire. Accordingly, in May 1840, the British 
government was requested to permit the exhumation of the 
imperial remains, and their transportation to France. The 
request was granted without hesitation, and orders given to 
the British authorities at St. Helena to render every assistance 
to the agents of the French government. The frigate Belle 
Poule and the corvette Favourite composed the expedition, 
which sailed from Toulon, July 7th, 1840, under the command 
of the prince de Joinville ; C4enerals Bertrand and Gourgaud, 
and MiM. Saint Denis and Noverraz, two of Napoleon's valets 
de chambre, accompanied the prince. On the 7th of October 
the ships arrived at St. Helena, and on the 8th were moored 
in the harbour. A few daj^s having been occupied in the 
necessary preparations, on the 15th of October the exhuma- 
tion took place, under the direction of the British authorities. 
Having been covered with an additional leaden coffin, and 
the whole placed in an ebony sarcophagus, sent for the 
purpose by the French government, the remains were em« 
barbed on board the Belle Poule, and on the 18th the expedi- 
tion commenced its return voyage. On the 30th of Novembef 
the sqnadron anchored in the port of Cherbourg, and pro 



LOUIS PHILIPPE I. 425 

cecded thence to Havre, which was fixed as the port of de 
barkalion. Here the coffin and sarcophagus were transferred 
to the national steamer La Normandie, on which they were 
conveyed up the Seine as far as Val de la Haye, where the 
steamer Dorade took the place of the Normandie, and trans- 
ported the remains to Courbevoie, near Paris. The progress 
of the Imperial corpse up the Seine drew together thousands 
of the people, whose enthusiasm knew no bounds. The' 
national guards were every where under arms, and the 
most impressive solemnities were observed as the cortege 
passed. The 15t,h of December was fixed for the entry intp 
Paris. On that day the capital was thronged by thousands 
upon thousands, among whom were not a kw of the soldiers 
of Napoleon. The coffin was conveyed from the suburbs to 
the Invalides, between lines of national guards several miles 
in length. The prince de Joinville presented the remains to 
the king, who received them in the name of France. They 
were then deposited in state in the church of the Invalides, 
where they were visited by immense numbers of people, who 
regarded them with an affection and reverence almost amount- 
ing to adoration. A monument in the church of the Invalides 
now marks the resting-place of all that was mortal of Na= 
poleon. 

12. A fifth attempt upon the life of the king was made on 
the 15th of October, by a man named Darmes, who was guil- 
lotined. 

13. The year 1842 was marked by two disasters. One 
was a shocking accident on the railroad between Paris and 
Versailles, which cost the lives of two hundred persons; the 
other was the death of the duke of Orleans, the heir-apparent 
to the throne, who was brought to the grave by being thrown 
out of the carriage in which he was riding. 

14. During the whole reign of Louis Philippe, France was 
engaged, at an immense expenditure of men and money, in 
supporting her colonists in Algiers against the indefatigable 
chieftain, Abd-el-Kader. This redoubtable warrior, although 
-epeatedly defeated, driven from his territories, and stripped of 
nis authority, continued to annoy the colony by his daring in 
cursions and restless enterprise. To secure the peace of the 
settlers, the government was compelled to keep under arms in 
Africa a force of scarcely less than a hundred thousand men. 
The opposition of this famous chief ended only with his cap= 
ture, at the close of the year 1847. He was carried to France, 
and ordered to be carefully guarded as a prisoner. I.n the 

36* 



426 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

year 1838, the refusal of the government of Mexico to inJem 
nify France for losses sustained during the troubles of thai 
republic, by French citizens, led to an attack by rear-admiral 
Baudin upon the city and castle of Vera Cruz, which were 
greatly injured by the bombardment, and taken possession of, 
November 28lh, 1838. War was declared against France, 
but by the intervention of the British minister, Mr. Pakenham, 
an amicable arrangement of the difficulties was effected. 

15. In the year 1840, a treaty w^as made in London between 
Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia, settling the ques- 
tion of the possession of Syria by the pacha of Egypt, without 
reference to ihe acquiescence of France in their decision. This 
led to violent expressions of feeling on the part of the French 
people, who believed their nation insulted ; the ministry 
breathed the same spirit, and the king consented to the aug- 
mentation of the army to 639,000 men. The plan for the for- 
tification of Paris, as it was called, which had been before 
rejected by the chambers, was resumed by Thiers among his 
other preparations for war, and this would seem to have been 
the only object aimed at by the king in apparently coinciding 
with the war feeling; for he refused to allow his minister to 
denounce the treaty of July formally to the chambers, and ask 
for further warlike preparations. Thiers therefore gave up 
his portfolio, and a new ministry was appointed, of which the 
master spirit was Guizot. That statesman continued the for- 
tification of Paris, and coincided fully with the wish of Louis 
Philippe to preserve the peace of Europe. He remained at 
the head of the government from 1840 until the revolution of 
1848. By every means in his power he preserved France 
from European hostilities, brought about an exchange of visits 
between the sovereigns of England and France, and promoted 
on all occasions the intrigues of the king for the aggrandize- 
ment of the royal family, and its establishment by intermar- 
riages in other courts of Europe. At the same time, his inter- 
nal government was characterized by pride, tyranny, blind- 
ness, and a constant succession of encroachments upon the 
liberty of the people. During the whole term of his adminis- 
tration the work of fortifying Paris was continued, until the 
whole city was surrounded by a girdle of fortifications of im 
pregnable strength, the guns of which were expected to serve 
equally well in repelling a foreign foe and in crushing any 
revolt in Paris. Secure in the pride of power, Louis Philippe 
Doasted that he held France in his hand, and Guizot ruled on, 
<*"ell contented in the seeming success of his policy, and con- 



REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, 1848. 427 

viiicecl of the truth of his own saying, that an unpopular gov- 
ernment is the most successful. 

16. On the opening of the French chambers in 1848, a 
paragraph of the address announced the intention of the min- 
istry to oppose the holding of a reform banquet in one of thf 
arrondissements of Paris. The people had been accustomed 
to these gatherings, which had always been conducted in a 
quiet and orderly manner, and all Paris resolved to participate 
in the one thus opposed, as a demonstration of their determi- 
nation in the matter. On the eve of the day on which it was 
to be held the government grew alarmed, and issued a procla- 
mation that it would prevent it vi et armis. This was made 
known to a meeting of the deputies and electors who were to 
take part in the festival, and they repaired to the chamber to 
interrogate the ministry upon the subject, where, in an angry 
debate, they learned the resolution that had been taken. The 
opposition deputies, anxious to preserve peace, announced their 
determination to take no part in the celebration, and the gov- 
ernment strengthened itself to enforce its decree. The number 
of the troops was increased to one hundred thousand men, and 
armed bodies were concentrated about the chamber of deputies. 
Great bodies of people were in motion early upon the day 
fixed for the banquet, February 22d, blocking up the avenues 
to the chambers, and makino- offensive demonstrations before 
the house of the minister. The troops manifested great reluc- 
tance to make war upon them, and the day passed over with 
few occurrences of note, except the impeachment of the min- 
ister by Odillon Barrot in the chamber, on behalf of fifty-three 
opposition deputies. 

17. During the night the troops demolished the barricades 
thrown up by the people during the day, and the morning of 
the 23d was spent in the erecting and destroying of these 
works. Shortly after noon a large detachment of the national 
guard came to present a petition to the chamber in favour of 
reform, but they were met by the commander of the tenth le- 
gion, in the Place de la Concorde, who told them they would 
not be permitted to pass. As M. Guizot entered the chamber 
of deputies on this day, the tenth legion on guard there saluted 
him with cries of, ^ bas Guizot! Vive Louis Philippe! 

18. At half-past three a conflict commenced between the 
people and the municipal guard; but almost everywhere the 
national guard fraternized with the people. A lull was pro- 
duced by the announcement of the resignation of the ministry, 
and the appointment of Count Mole to the presidency of tha 



428 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

council ; but the wanton discharge of musketry upon the peo 
pie, by the guard assembled before M. Guizot's hotel, by which 
fifty-two persons were killed or wounded, again aroused the 
people, and everywhere the cry was heard to arms. The dead 
bodies were carried about Paris in a vehicle, preceded by ar) 
immense crowd, chanting in a mournful murmur the songs of 
death. Suddenly there arose a cry for vengeance, and the 
issue of the revolution was decided. At every corner barrio 
cades were erected. Gentlemen, shopkeepers, clerks, workmen 
all laboured equally and effectively. The dawn of the 24th 
saw the whole city in possession of the people. The Chateau 
d'Eau, a massive stone building in front of the Palais Royal, 
was garrisoned by 180 municipal guards, who attacked the 
people about the palace, and a desperate conflict ensued, in 
which the populace suffered severely, but demolished the cha 
teau, chiefly by means of fire. 

19. The victors then rushed to the Tuilleries, which was 
surrounded with thousands of troops, who would not fire upon 
their brethren. Louis Philippe found that his sceptre had de 
parted, and he ali^mipted by abdication to transfer his crowp 
to the count of Paris, his grandson. The mother of the counJ- 
repaired with him" to the chamber of deputies, where a voice 
from the public gallery settled the question at once •■ — " It is too 
late." The members of the royal family retired, followed by 
all the royalists in the chamber. Dupont de I'Eure, whose 
sturdy republicanism in 1830 was not forgotten, was carried to 
the chair, and a provisional government was proclaimed, amid 
loud shouts of Five la Republique ! 

20. Louis Philippe had been escorted by a detachment of 
guards to Neuilly, whence he made his escape in disguise to 
England. Apprehensions were entertained that his life would 
be sacrificed to popular fury; but the only cry that arose from 
the multitude was one of indifferent derision, "Let him go!" 

21. The furniture of the Tuilleries was thrown out of the 
windows and burned, the wines in the cellar distributed among 
the multitude, the throne carried in procession through the 
stre'^ts, and finally burned on the famous place de la Bastille, 
and the royal carriages were burned at the Chateau d'Eau. 
All this passed directly beneath the notice of long lines of 
motionless infantry and cavalry. The respect paid to private 
property was not less remarkable than it Avas honourable. 
Several malefactors, caught by the people in stealing, were 
shot on the spot, and the word " voleur" (thief) fastened upon 
their bodies. 



REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, 1848. 



429 




REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, 1848. 431 

22. The provisional government was installed at the Hota 
de rule, and at once proclaimed a republic. The chamber 
of peers was immediately abolished, and steps taken to relieve 
the people of the burden which the overthrow of existing re^ 
lati^ins was likely to place upon them. Lamartine, Arago, 
Ledru RoUin, Lamoriciere, Gamier Pages, Cavaignac, Decou- 
trias, with the venerable president, Dupontdel'Eure, composed 
the provisional government. The first act of the government 
showed Lamartine to be the master spirit. Every citizen was 
made an elector, and the qualifications for office were citizen- 
ship and the age of twenty-five years. The penalty of death 
for political offences was immediately abolished. An act for 
the emancipation of every slave on territory subject to France 
was ordered to be immediately prepared. On the 4th of 
March the victims of the revolution were solemnly interred, in 
the presence of nearly half a million of people, at the foot of 
the monument erected to liberty, and the memory of victims 
ot the three days of July 1830. 

23. The earliest occasion was selected by the American 
minister at Paris, Mr. Rush, for recognising the republic. On 
the 28th of February he waited upon the provisional govern- 
ment, and formally acknowledged the republic, in an eloquent 
speech ; hoping that the friendship of the two republics would 
be co-extensive with their duration. A deputation of American 
citizens waited upon the provisional government on the 8lh of 
March, tenderin.g them congratulations, and presenting them 
a flag-staff^, with the colours of the two republics united and 
flowing together. The colour was received by M. Arago, in a 
handsome address on the part of the government, and placed 
in the Hotel de Ville. 

24. After the restoration of peace, the new government 
turned its attention to the subject of electing permanent ofli- 
cers for the republic. The arrangements necessary to enable 
a national election to take place constituted a gigantic task. 
The mode of ballot, the rate of representation, the naming of 
polls, and the qualifications of both voters and candidates, 
had all to be arranged for a population of some millions of 
freemen, unaccustomed either to choosing their rulers or 
ruling themselves. The 9th of April was at first named as 
the day of election, but this was subsequently changed to 
the 23d and 24th. The provisional government decided 
that the new constitution should be drawn up by a constituent 
assembly, to be elected by the people. A decree was ao- 
3ordingly published^ proclaiming that the elf ction should ba 



4-:52 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

based on the niimber of the population; that the total num. 
ber of representatives should be nine hundred, including 
Algeria, and the colonies; the representatives to be divided 
among the departments; the suffrage to be direct and -ini- 
versal; every Frenchman twenty-one years of age to be an 
elector, unless deprived of civil rights; every citizen twenty- 
five years old, to be eligible if in possession of civil rights; 
that the ballot should be secret ; that all electors should vote 
at the principal town of their cantonment; that each repre- 
eentative should receive during the session of the assembly 
twenty-five francs per day. 

25. Soon after the publication of this decree, two official 
circulars were issued on the same subject by M. Carnot, 
minister of public instruction, and Ledru Rollin, member of 
the provisional government. The former was of an excep- 
tionable character, and met with general disapprobation. 
The other made an open appeal to the revolutionary flame 
still smothering, and declared that it was the duty of the 
people to elect a certain class from their own number, even 
though they would be obliged to resort to another overthrow 
of government. On the appearance of this dangerous paper, 
a deputation of the club appointed for the liberty of elec- 
tions, waited upon the government to ren)onsti-ate against the 
doctrine. Lamartine replied at considerable length, virtually 
disavowing the document. "The provisional government," 
he declared, " had not directed any one to speak in its name 
to the nation, and especially to speak a language superior to 
the law." Not long after a proclamation appeared in the 
name of the whole government, calculated to remove the bad 
impression caused by Ledru Rollin's circular. The cor- 
rection was ill received by the minister of the interior. This 
was palpably manifested during the deliberations of the pro- 
visional government, on the night of March 15th, when after 
making a proposition which was rejected, he threatened that 
unless it was reconsidered and agreed to, he would call in the 
people assembled in the court, and appeal to their sympathies. 
On hearing this, M. Garnier Pages immediately arose, drew 
a pistol from his pocket, and declared tliat he would shoot 
Rollin through the head, should he attempt the execution of 
his threat. Here the matter dropped. 

26. But notwithstanding his unpopularity with the public 
ministers, Ledru Rollin pursued his favorite schemes with 
unabated vigor; and so well was he seconded by his agents 
iu the different departments, that many of the latter were ou 



REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, 1848. 4B3 

the eve of plunging into a civil war. One of these function- 
aries assumed authority to double the taxes in Lyons, and 
prohibit all persons who left the town from carrying with 
them more than five hundred francs. The ultra-republican 
clubs in Paris indulged in the most inflammatory language, 
threatening to attack the national assembly unless it should 
be entirely formed by men of their own party. Meanwhile, 
the working classes, disgusted with the surrounding quiet- 
ness, and craving excitement, amused themselves by planting 
" trees of liberty," throughout Paris. Even the clergy joined 
in this work, sprinkling the roots with holy water, and per- 
forming other idle ceremonies. At night, houses were illu- 
minated, volleys of artillery fired, and similar demonstrations 
made by the different mobs. The spirit of revolution and 
anarchy was kept alive by inflammatory addresses, posted 
throughout Paris, and appealing to the lowest feelings of the 
community. " The elections," observed one of these docu- 
ments, " if they do not cause social truth to triumph — if they 
are but the expression of the interests of a caste, extorted 
from the confiding loyalty of the people — the elections, which 
should be the safety of the republic, will be its ruin : of that 
there can be no doubt. There would be then but one means 
of safety for the people who made the barricades — it would 
be to manifest a second time its will, and to adjourn the 
decision of a false national representation. * * * * Paris 
looks on herself, with reason, as the representative of all the 
population of the national territory. Paris is the advanced 
post of the army that combats for the republican idea. If 
anarchy works in the distance — if social influences pervert 
the judgment or betray the will of the masses of the people, 
dispersed and scattered, the people of Paris believe and 
declare themselves guardians of the interests of the whole 
nation." 

27. The consequences of such appeals soon manifested 
themselves. On Sunday, April 16th, an attempt was made 
to overthrow the moderate section of government, and sub- 
jgtitute for it the so-called committee of safety. This plot 
was, however, defeated by the prompt and cordial support 
given to the cause of order by the national guard. As 
though by magic, two hundred thousand men, of all ranks 
and conditions, rallied around the government. At the same 
time, the great bulk of the working men of Paris, emphati- 
cally declared their adhesion to the honest and rational por- 
tion of the provisional government, thus separating theii 
37 2o 



434 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

cause from that of the selfish demagogues and spurious phj- 
lanthropists led by Ledru Eollin and others. Tliis evenl 
proved the good policy of admitting the workmen into the 
national guards, since it is probable that in case of being 
excluded, they would have been made tools of by tlie revolu- 
tionary factions. Lamartine and his colleagues found their 
hands greatly strengthened, and were enabled to bring back 
the army to Paris, without danger to themselves, and with 
the entire approbation of the citizens. A still more formid- 
able demonstration made by the clubs and " trades," was sup- 
pressed by the firmness of the national guard. No lives 
were lost. 

28. On Thursday, April 20th, the grand fete of fraternity 
to celebrate the return of the troops of the line to Paris took 
place. That day the city presented a sublime spectacle. 
Three hundred thousand armed men and as many spectators, 
were mingled together for seven or eight hours with the 
greatest cordiality. The illumination in the evening was 
brilliant and general — even the suburbs being lighted. 

29. Meanwhile, the election for representatives to the 
National Assembly had taken place [April 23—4]. They 
excited great and universal interest — there being reason to 
suppose that the republic was not as popular in the provinces 
as in Paris. Two great parties existed. One composed of 
moderate men, favorable to the republic, and opposed to the 
wild schemes of Ledru Rollin and others of his stamp; the 
other denouncing Lamartine and the provisional government, 
demanding a common distribution of wealth for the whole 
nation, and interpreting the words liberty and equality to 
mean, the privilege of doing as they pleased, and of reducing 
all, except themselves, to poverty. Amid scenes of great 
excitement, the elections took place at the time appointed. 
In several places disgraceful riots occurred, while in others, 
especially in Paris, thousands abstained from voting, thus 
proving that, although ready enough to take part in a military 
revolution, they cared little about any other manner of secu- 
ring liberty. The republican party were eminently triumph- 
ant. Late on Monday night, April 24th, the ballot boxes 
were closed, and the elections terminated. The general 
examination of votes was reserved for the 28th, when the 
senior mayor of Paris presided. The candidates who obtained 
more than two thousand votes were then proclaimed by the 
mayor " representatives of the people." Their number had 
been previously fixed at nine hundred. Lamartine was 



REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, 1848. 435 

elected by nine of the principal cities of the republic. The 
announcement of the names was received by the people amid 
the wildest shouts of enthusiasm. 

30. The 4th of May was the day chosen to publish to the 
people official notice of the new republic. On that day an 
immense multitude assembled at the Place de la Concorde, 
on the bridge, and around the national palace. At the re- 
quest of General Courtais, commander of the national guard, 
the whole assembly appeared before the people, and pro- 
claimed the republic amid the waving of innumerable ban- 
ners, the firing of artillery, and the shouts of the delighted 
multitude. A resolution passed the previous day to liberate 
all slaves, either in France or her colonies, and to deprive 
of citizenship any one engaged directly or indirectly in the 
slave trade, was received with rapturous applause. 

31. On the following day, the assembly met at noon, and 
after receiving a verification of their powers, entered into 
an election for president. M. Buchez was chosen by a large 
majority. The members of the provisional government 
then appeared, and one by one submitted reports of their 
proceedings since the 24th of February. Their resignations 
were then received, and the thanks of the country tendered 
to them. 

32. On the following Wednesday, the assembly appointed 
five of their number as an executive committee to act in place 
of the provisional government. The names were Arago, 
Garnier Pag^s, Marie, Lamartine, and Ledru Rollin. 

33. Meanwhile, the doctrines of the ultra-republicans — the 
questions of socialism and communism had excited scenes 
of a rather serious character at Rouen, Elboeuf, and other 
manufacturing towns. In the former place, a report had 
been circulated that M. Deschamps, the communist candi- 
date, would not poll the number of votes necessary to his 
election, and in consequence groups of workmen began to 
collect, crying, "Down with the National Assembly!" 
" Down with the aristocrats ! " They were dispersed, how- 
ever, by the dragoons. The night passed away without any 
serious occurrence, but on the following morning the disorder 
«vas renewed with alarming violence. The people threw up 
barricades, skirmishes were carried on until sunset, and at 
night the national guard were assaulted by volleys of stones. 
At length the troops fired, killing ten or twelve of the 
rioters, and by a vigorous charge compelling the remainder 
to disperse. On Friday the riots were renewed, and more 



436 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

blood shed ; but the soldiery having been reinforced by the 
garde mobile of Paris, were enabled to restore order by 
Saturday morning. Twenty-two lives had been sacrificed 
The avowed object of these movements was to bring about a 
reaction in the new republic, favorable to the dissolution of 
the then existing condition of society, and establish their 
absurd schemes of a community of goods and manners. 
Though often defeated, the advocates of this theory, led by 
the celebrated Louis Blanc and others, clung to their opinions 
with fanatical tenacity, and watched gloomily for the moment 
when they would be favored by fortune to assert them with 
force of arms. 



Questions. 

1. What feelings were entertained by leading men concerning 

government? 

2. What eiFect was produced by the capture of the late king'a 

ministers ? 

3. How did the parties regard each other? 

4. What gave rise to an outbreak in Paris? 

6. What is said of the government's interference with Belgium ? 

6. What is said of the relations with Spain and the United 

States ? 

7. What occurred July 28, 1835? 

8. What caused a change of ministry? 

9. What other attempts were made on the king's life? 

10. What is said of Prince Louis Bonaparte? 

11. Describe the ceremonies attending the removal of Napoleon's 

remains? 

12. Who made a fifth attempt on the king's life? 

13. What disasters occurred in 1842? 

14. Describe the war with Abd-el-Kader and Mexico. 

15. Describe the Guizot ministry. 

16. What eiFect was produced by the refusal of the ministry to 

sanction the holding of the reform banquet? 

17. What occurred on the 28d of February, 1848? 

18. Describe the outbreak. 

1 9. What form of government was substituted ? 

20. What is said of Louis Philippe? 

21. What took place at the Tuilleries? 

22. Describe the organization of the Provisional government? 

23. What was done by the American minister? 

24. What steps were taken respecting the election ? 



REYOLUTION OF FEBRUARY, 1848. 



437 



25. What was the conduct of Ledru Rollin ? 

26 What was done by Ledru Rollin and the peop.e? 

27. What is said of the plot of April 16th? 

28. What took place on the 29th of April? 

29. Describe the election. 

30. What was done on the 4th of May? 
81. On the following day? 

32. On the following Wednesday ? 

83. What took place at Rouen 




Duke of OrleaoB. 



87* 



438 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




Arm and Marrast. 

CHAPTER XLV. 

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY— REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 

The sight 
Of blood to crowds begets the thirst of more, 
As the first •wine cup leads to the long revel; 
And you will find a harder task to quell 
Than urge them when they have commenced ; but till 
That moment a mere voice, a straw, a shadow, 
Are capable of turning them aside. 

Byron's Doge of Venice. 



1. The bitterness of faction had been, in a great measure, 
mollified by the operations of the provisional government, 
and the expectation of benefit to be derived therefrom, con- 
tributed largely to the maintenance of peace, and the repres- 
sion of mob rule. But, with the transference of power from 
the temporary to the permanent government, discord again 
began to show a bold front, the slight barrier which had for 
the time held in check the flood of partisan strife, gave way 
under the pressure, the song of freedom was changed into the 
battle cry of infuriate opposing forces, and, fired with all th« 
rancor of incurable partisan hatred and revenge, a terrible 
struggle was again made for supremacy and revenge. 



REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 439 

2. Early on the morning of May 15, the Parisian clubs 
and ac immense concourse of people having assembled in the 
capital to express sympathy for the cause of the unfortunate 
Polish patriots, inflammatory addresses were made to the 
masses, the National Assembly denounced, and red flags dis- 
played beside those emblematic of sympathy for the Poles. 
A committee, appointed to petition the Assembly to interfere 
in behalf of Poland, was followed to the national Chamber 
by more than 50,000 persons. The Assembly, which had 
convened at noon, took the precaution of posting a number 
of the National Guard outside the building to prevent an 
outbreak ; but General Courtais, the commander, allowed the 
mob to pass unmolested, when they rushed into the Chamber, 
where a scene of indescribable confusion immediately ensued, 
which was only quieted by the appearance of Louis Blanc 
near the president's chair. At his instance M. Raspail read 
the petition in favor of Poland, which was received with 
shouts of applause that lasted for several minutes. M. 
Blanqui, a prominent member of the clubs, then made a 
speech, which only added fuel to the fire of popular frenzy, 
and when M. Rollin who followed in a milder strain, com- 
mendatory of the justice of their demands for aid to Poland, 
and the " admirable good sense of the people of Paris," pro- 
posed that the mob should withdraw, for the purpose of 
allowing the Assembly free scope for the discussion of the 
subject, immediately there arose cries of " Let the vote be 
taken at once," " The matter has been sufficiently debated," 
" We have enlightened the Assembly." M. Barbes then 
appeared in the tribune, and proposed the levy of a fixed tax 
of one milliard on the rich to carry on the war for Poland. 
This was greeted with the most deafening cheers, followed 
by appalling confusion, amid which M. Hubert, who had 
been a political prisoner under the former government, 
ascended the ti'ibune, and cried, " Citizens, I proclaim in the 
name of the sovereign people of France that the National 
Assembly is dissolved." The mob, mad with ecstacy, at 
once levied a contribution of 1000,000,000 francs upon the 
rich for the benefit of the poor, and appointed an executive 
government, composed or Barbes, Albert, Louis Blanc, 
Flocon, Blanqui, Baspail, and Cabet. One of the newly- 
Bppointed government, M. Barbes, went so far as to demand 
the re-establishment of the guillotine. 

3. When it became known throughout Paris that the 
National Assembly had been attacked, the National Guard 



440 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

rallied to its support, declaring that they had been betrayed 
by their general. Two legions marched toward the legislative 
halls, while the remaining legions, accompanied by detach- 
ments of the " garde mobile," bodies of infantry and cavalry, 
and a battery of artillery, proceeded to the Hotel de Ville, 
to capture the several embryo provisional governments therein 
located. With the second legion rode, on horseback, side by 
side, Lamartine and Ledru Rollin. They were hailed enthu- 
siastically by the people, who shouted for the Assembly, and 
pressed forward to shake hands with the two distinguished 
members, who thanked them warmly for their devotion to 
liberty. About one hundred persons were captured at the 
Hotel de Ville, after which the force joined their brethren in 
arms sent to the representative hall. Between six and seven 
o'clock, the legions outside of Paris entered it by all the 
barriers, in order to offer their support to the National 
Assembly, and in a short time the mob was not only routed 
and dispersed, but their most prominent leaders, as Barb^s, 
Albert, Blanqui, Raspail, and Sobrier, were arrested and 
thrown into prison. 

4. Order had scarcely been restored, when the government 
Bupamoned the citizens of Paris to participate in the great 
national festival of " Concord,^' given in honor of the estab- 
lishment of the republic. Sunday, May 21, was the day set 
apart for the purpose, and the procession moved from the 
Place de la Concord to the Champ de Mars, headed by the 
members of the provisional government, followed by the 
mayor of Paris, the municipalities, the delegates of the 
different departments, &c. All professions and trades were 
fully represented, and a colossal statue, emblematic of the 
republic, was drawn by four horses, and followed by bands 
of choristers, chanting national or patriotic hymns. Among 
the choristers was a party of five hundred young females, 
dressed in white muslin robes, with tri-colored ribbons on 
their shoulders, and wreaths of flowers on their heads. In 
the evening Paris was brilliantly illuminated, and the Champ 
de Mars, Champs Elysees, and Tuilleries, were lighted with 
half a million colored, and ten thousand Chinese lanterns, at 
a cost of 200,000 francs. 

5. Serious disturbances with the workmen employed by 
the government followed the festival; for, with characteri>tic 
short-sightedness, the authorities employed so many persons 
that they were soon embarrassed for money, and thousands 
were, in consequence, suddenly discharged. The unemployed 



REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 441 

fomented dissension, and it was found necessary to call out 
large bodies of the National Guard to restore order, which 
was eflFected without bloodshed, after many arrests had been 
made. 

6. On the occasion of the election of Prince Louis Bona- 
parte, nephew of the great Napoleon, by some of the districts 
which had returned two persons at the original election, a 
more serious demonstration took place. From comparative 
obscurity, he became, in a single day, one of the most im- 
portant men in France ; on Sunday he was the theme of gen- 
eral conversation in the holiday gatherings of the lower classes, 
who knew not the man, but venerated the namej and on 
Monday a journal appeared, entitled " The Napoleon," which 
was devoted to the advancement of his cause. As Louis Bo- 
naparte was expected to take his seat in the Assembly on this 
day, a great crowd filled all the streets leading to the legis- 
lative hall, and many carried on their hats a paper, on which 
was inscribed, in large letters, " Louis Napoleon ! long live 
the emperor ! down with the republic !" The apprehensions 
of the government being aroused, about five o'clock in the 
evening, orders were given to clear the streets, and, at the 
point of the bayonet, the mob was driven from the Place de 
la Revolution, still, however, shouting defiantly, "Long live 
the emperor I" Lamartine, taking advantage of this out- 
break, proposed the enforcement of the laws of 1816 and 
1832, prohibiting the entrance into France of any of the 
Bonaparte family. Adopted by acclamation, this motion was, 
at a subsequent sitting, repealed with equal precipitation. 

7. Many causes had contributed to the success of the 
lower orders in the struggle of February, among which were 
the co-operation of the military, and the apathy of the middle 
classes; but, after the monarchy had been overthrown, dis- 
sensions arose between the operative and middle classes, 
which were productive of wide-spread disorder and social 
convulsions. The working people demanded an entire re- 
construction of the social fabric, which would secure them 
full employment and adequate pay; and the provisional go- 
vernment evinced its own weakness by acceding to the popu- 
lar demand for the establishment of national workshops, 
which the tax-payers, already overburdened, were still farther 
taxed to support. Notwithstanding trade was completely 
prostrated, and the middle classes daily losing their sub- 
stance, yet the lower classes received high wages from the 
government, whether employed or idle. Flushed with sue- 



442 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

cess, ilattered by all parties, and amused by gorgeous fetes 
and festivals, the workmen enthusiastically defended the new 
order of things ; while those engaged in trade and commerce 
were loud in denunciation of a system which allowed those 
who possessed nothing to live upon the earnings of others. 
The financial crisis which ensued, caused the discharge of 
thousands of workmen by the tottering government — when 
a reaction immediately took place in the sentiment of the 
masses, who then became convinced that their rulers were 
either unable or unwilling to revolutionize society. The 
election of an anti-Communist National Assembly impressed 
upon their minds the idea that henceforth they could expect 
little sympathy from .the members of the legislative body, 
and the first fruits of their disappointed hopes, was the ill- 
considered attempt at revolution originated on the 15th of 
May, under the guise of sympathy for the Poles. 

8. The flame of dissension, although checked for a time 
by the vigorous action of the authorities, again began to 
spread with fearful rapidity; and the crisis was precipitated 
by the necessity for disbanding the large army of workmen 
still employed — amounting to more than 100,000 men, com- 
posed, not only of Parisians, but also of idle and dissolute 
adventurers, galley-slaves, and robbers, who, flocking into 
Paris from all parts of the country, were consuming the 
small remnant of vitality still left in the nation. The more 
respectable, but yet infatuated operatives, entered into a 
close organization with their villanous companions, appointed 
resolute commanders, and prepared secretly, but most effec- 
tually, for a final struggle. The party of order, which now 
controlled the Assembly, had, on the other hand, vigorously 
prepared themselves for a stern resistance, being fully re- 
solved, if again called to arms by the Communistic faction, 
to crush it at once and for ever. 

9. On Thursday luorning, June 22, a large body of work- 
men appeared before the Luxembourg Palace, and demanded 
an interview with the members of the executive government. 
M. Marie consented to receive a deputation of five delegates, 
who, after a conference, returned to their companions with 
the assurance that they had nothing to expect. This was 
the signal for an outbreak, and the mob moved through the 
streets, venting their displeasure by various cries, and their 
revolutionary views by shouts of " Long live Napoleon I" 
"Long live the emperor!" About half-past eight in the 
evening, 5000 persons proceeded toward the Hotel de Villo, 



REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 



443 



and thence to the Faubourg du Temple, for the purpose of 
joining the first party, which was assembled in the Place da 
Bastile. So much alarm was created by this movement, that 
an additional military force was called out, and kept under 
arms during the night. 

10. The following morning, June 23, Paris was filled with 
alarming reports of the progress of the rioters, and it was 
soon ascertained that they had thrown up barricades in va- 
rious parts of the city, with the view of strengthening their 
forces for a desperate struggle. The principal fortifications 
were, one on the Boulevard, close to the Porte St. Denis; a 
second, full as formidable as the first, placed a short distance 
beyond the Rue St. Denis ; another, still farther on, toward 




Women at the barricades near tbe Porte St. Denis. 

the Porte St. Martin; while the end of the Rue du Faubourg 
St. Denis was also closed up with a huge barricade, which 
prevented the approach of troops from the outside. The 
Rue St. Denis, the Rue Villeneuve Bourbon, the Rue de 
Clery, and the other streets debouching on the point in pes- 



444 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

session of the conspirators, were similarly defended; and 
thousands of armed youth were industriously at work, with 
pikes and spades, tearing up the streets, and adding to the 
defences, upon which were stuck a great number of tri-colored 
flags, bearing diflerent mottoes. The Porte St. Denis, which 
was in possession of the conspirators, was decorated with a 
black flag. 

11. The sun had not yet risen above the horizon, when 
dense columns of infantry were seen defiling through the 
streets leading to the Porte St. Denis, while a strong body 
of troops of the line, accompanied by the second legion of 
the National Guard, approached the barricades from the op- 
posite side, thus surrounding the insurgents, and cutting off" 
their retreat. A sharp conflict commenced, in which several 
were killed and wounded on each side, but the troops finally 
succeeded in carrying the barricades at the point of the bay- 
onet. Boys, and even females, aided the insurgents, and 
frequently made their appearance on the barricades, waving 
flags and other emblems, on which were inscribed significant 
mottoes. Among the prisoners taken were several women, 
and one or two were killed. 

12. The executive committee met at the ^alace de Lux- 
embourg, where, at 10 A. M., they were joined by the presi- 
dent of the National Assembly. General Cavaignac, then 
minister of war, was appointed commander-in-chief of all the 
troops of the line, and other military forces in the depart- 
ment of the Seine. On Saturday, the insurgents still con- 
tinuing their operations at several different points, the Assem- 
bly declared Paris in a state of siege, and appointed General 
Cavaignac dictator. Before evening, he had suppressed the 
insurrection on the left bank of the Seine ; but a most terri- 
ble struggle took place at the Clos St. Lazarre, on the right 
bank. As an instance of the dreadful slaughter which took 
place, and of the* desperation with which the mob fought, 
only nine or ten men of the seventh battalion of the Garde 
Mobile, numbering 800 men, escaped unhurt. On Sunday, 
at the barricade La Bochechouart, M. La lioche, the editor 
of Le Pere Duchesne, was killed while aiding the insurgents. 

13. The appearance of Paris was dreary in the extreme, 
one-fourth of the city having either been ruined, to build 
defences, or so barricaded and guarded as to be utterly im- 
passable. Against 120,000 insurgents were opposed 300,000 
troops, and at night all the streets were guarded. General 
Cavaignac, understanding that several of the public papers 



REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 



445 



wevfi publishing articles calculated to still further inflame 
the passions of the mob, immediately ordered their suppres- 
gion, and the arrest of M. Girardin, editor of "■La Fref.se.." 
14. The contest at the Pantheon during Sunday was of 
the most determined character; for fifteen hours no cessation 
being perceptible in the firing. It was not until one o'clock, 
when the troops of the line arrived, that the combined forces 
succeeded in breaking through the railings of the Pantheon, 




Death of M. La Koche. 



and gaining the interior. This, however, was but a small 
part of the task, several of the strongest barricades remaining 
to be attacked ; but the coolness of military discipline finally 
prevailed, and at four o'clock the streets were so far free, 
that M. Payer, representative from Ardennes, whose house 
had been invaded by the insurgents, succeeded in getting tc 
the Assembly. 

15. On Sunday evening, Monseigneur Afi"re, Archbishop 
of Paris, waited on G-eneral Cavaignac, and tendered his 
services as a pacificator, which were gladly accepted by the 
general, and orders immediately issued that every facility 
should be extended to the venerable prelate. On the 
appearance of the prelate at the Place de Bastille, bearing 
with him a copy of Gen. Cavaignac's proclamation for tha 



446 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



cessation of hostilities, the firing on both sides was suspended, 
and almost alone, he fearlessly ascended the barricade, where 
he explained the purpose of his laudable mission During 
this cessation of hostilities the combatants unwittingly came 
within reach of each other, and began mutual accusations, 
which were followed by personal scuffles, when suddenly the 
firing recommenced. The prelate being thus placed between 
the two parties, was wounded in the groin by a shot from an 
adjoining window, and his servant, in endeavoring to &ave 
him from falling, was also shot in the side. The archbiahop 
was borne away by the soldiers, and expired on Tuesday 
morning at eleven o'clock. 




Monseigneur Affre, Archbishop of Paris. 

16. The calmness and serenity which had attended the 
archbishop before the barricade, did not leave him after he 
was wounded; for, on being informed by M. Jacquenet that 
bis wound was serious, he asked — "Is my life in danger?" 
" It is," was the reply. " Well, then," said the archbishop, 
" let Grod be praised, and may He accept the sacrifice which 
I again oflfer him for the salvation of this misguided people. 
May my death expiate the sins which I have committed 



448 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 







REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 449 

during my episcopacy." He afterwards confessed, and 
-ecelved the sacrament of extreme unction, preserving ad- 
mirable presence of mind throughout his sufferings, and 
expressing his satisfaction at accomplishing what he called 
his duty. 

17. No single event of this unhappy rebellion caused so 
much regret among all classes as the fate of this noble ser- 
vant of Heaven. The insurgents positively denied all inten- 
tion of doing him injury, and it seems almost certain thm 
the fatal shot was fired by some careless person, who aimed 
at random. All the insurgents present signed a declaration 
that he had not been shot by those on the barricade with 
him ; a point which they appeared very anxious to establish. 
There is reason to believe that the occurrence, although 
much to be deplored as an individual sacrifice, hastened the 
restitution of order. 

18. On Monday morning the conflict was renewed with 
desperate valor on both sides; the principal scenes of action 
being the Faubourg St. Antoine, the Place Maubert, and the 
neighborhood of the Pantheon. The former surrendered at 
discretion at eleven o'clock ; but the other places were 
Btormed, and the garrison of each killed or captured. The 
last barricade attacked was at the corner of the Rue de la 
Roquette. Gen. Lamoriciere, after having carried all the 
barricades in the Faubourg du Temple, arrived at the Place 
de la Bastille, from which he attacked the enemy's works 
with cannon and shells, when some of the latter falling on one 
of the adjoining houses, set it on fire, which so frightened 
the insurgents that they immediately fled. From that mo- 
ment all the efforts of the leaders to rally the mob were 
ineffectual; they fled to the Barriere de Menilmontant, and 
thence into the country. 

19. The loss on both sides was almost incredible — 20,000 
killed and.wounded being but a small estimate, since thou- 
sands of victims were, no doubt, concealed from the autho- 
rities. Amid all her revolutions, Paris never witnessed so 
much slaughter among her own citizens, as was perpetrated 
during those four days. Thousands of prisoners were taken 
by the military, and the government seemed to be as much 
embarrassed in the disposal of their cases, as it had been in 
suppressing the insurrection. The remaining days of tlie 
week were occupied in burying the dead, repairing daniagea 
done to the city, and re-establishing order. On the 29th 
Gen Cavaignac resigned his absolute authority to the Asseui- 

3S * 2d 



450 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

bly, whieh act was hailed witli most enthusiastic demonstra- 
tions of feeling. He was immediately created president of 
state, with authority to name his officers. Gen. Changarnicr 
was appointed by the president commander-in-chief of the 
National Guard ; and for the further security of society, the 
Assembly passed a resolution establishing an army of at least 
50,000 men around Paris, exclusive of the Garde Mobile, the 
republican guards, the gens d'armes, and several thousand 
artillerymen. 

20. On the night of July 11, Gen. Cavaignac received 
notice of another contemplated rising among the disaifected, 
and, immediately despatching a sufficient force, succeeded in 
capturing some of their leaders. Guards were posted through 
the streets, to prevent the assassination of citizens; but at 
the same time every liberty was given consistent with the 
security of society from violence and pillage. Yet, strange 
as it may seem, many were still anxious to renew the late 
struggle, and sought every opportunity to elude the presi- 
dent's vigilance, while prosecuting their seditious schemes. 
Monarchists and anarchists, foreign agents and the disaffected 
at home, united their sympathies with the rioters, and em- 
ployed assassins, convicts, and maniacs to carry out their 
views ; but to each and every emergency Gen. Cavaignac 
proved himself fully equal. 

21. In a great speech made on the 15th of July before 
the committee of foreign affairs of the National Assembly, 
Lamartine triumphantly vindicated the foreign policy of the 
provisional government, and refuted the slanders which had 
been heaped upon him since the revolution. Reviewing the 
condition of the national relations with Spain, he deprecated 
any interference with the internal polity of that government, 
spoke disparagingly of the legislative knowledge and diplo- 
macy of Napoleon I., and concluded by saying — "The 
republic of February 24 boasts of another diplomacy than 
that of the convention and empire — than that of despair or 
conquest. The influence acquired in four months by Franco. 
the impossibility of seeing again formed against her a coali- 
tion, unless she herself renew it with her own hands, attests, 
whatever M. Napoleon Bonaparte may say, that there is a 
policy as democratic as national ; a policy as firm as moderate. 
it is this policy that the government of February has inau- 
gurated, and of which I have no doubt the present govern- 
ment will follow the great outlines and the auspicious 
traditions." 



EEBELLION OF JUNE, 184S. 451 

22. A great banquet had been appointed for the 14th of 
July, at which 200,000 workmen were to participate; but 
its occurrence was prevented by disclosures of the most 
fearful nature, which, though perhaps exaggerated, display 
in a forcible manner the condition of the French community 
at that time. It had been arranged that, at a given signal, 
the members of the National Assembly, and the heads of the 
government were to be massacred, and the whole city to be 
seized by the insurgents. Such was the terror inspired 
among all classes by the rumors of these designs, that Gen. 
Cavaignac experienced the utmost difficulty in convincing 
the inhabitants that the means of government were sufficient 
to protect them. Soldiers were stationed throughout Paris, 
spending the day on guard, and sleeping in the streets at 
night, with guns loaded, and bayonets fixed. 

23. Immediately after this occurrence, stringent laws 
were passed against the numerous clubs of Paris, which had 
latterly assumed an attitude dangerous to the existence of 
society; the members either carrying arms themselves, or 
exciting an armed resistance against every measure not in 
accordance with their views. Ey the new act all clubs were 
required to make known their existence to the government 
(and in case of the formation of new ones, notice to be given 
forty-eight hours before the time of organization), with their 
times and places of meeting ; to keep an open record of their 
proceedings ; to reserve one-fourth of their seats for stran- 
gers ; to have always present a government official, dressed 
in uniform ; and that all intercommunication between dif- 
ferent clubs should absolutely cease. The desired efi"ect was 
produced by these regulations ; and the efforts of the presi- 
d*>.nt, cordially aided by those of the National Assembly, 
r(*Qdered the city more tranquil than it had yet been since 
the days of Napoleon I. 

24. Among other lamented victims of the rebellion was 
Gen. Negrier, a gallant and dignified officer, whose honorable 
character, urbanity of manners, and great personal bravery, 
irindered him a favorite, not only among the large circle of 
his immediate acquaintances, but also in the National Assem- 
bly, of which he was a member, and in which, at the time of 
his death, he filled the office of questor. He was born in 
Portugal, of French parents, and during the occupation of 
the peninsula by the French, under the empire. Marshal 
Lannes, who took a strong interest in him, sent him to France 
!inder the care of his aid-de-camp. Gen. Soubervie. Having 



452 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



entered the array, he rose through the several subordinate 
ranks to that of G-eneral of Division, a promotion well earned 
by active service in the field. During the sanguinary conflict 
ho fought at several points, with most signal success. On 




General Negrier. 

Sunday evening, June 25, while advancing at the head of 
his men toward a barricade, he was struck by a ball and fell 
to the ground a corpse. At the same time another member 
of the Assembly, Gren. Charbonnel, was mortally wounded 
by his side. 

25. An account of the rebellion in June could not be 
closed better than by the following extract from a lucid 
description of one of the positions held by the insurgents. 
" When those who have been at Waterloo learn that for 
more than a mile the wall of the city of Paris was as pro- 
fusely furnished with loop-holes as was the garden wall of 
Houguemont, they will easily imagine how formidable was 
the obstacle it presented. The barricades in advance were 
composed of paving stones of a hundred weight each, or of 
the cut stones for a hospital in progress of erection, and they 
were protected by houses adjoining to or commanding them, 



REBELLION OF JUNE, 1848. 453 

and as occasion presented itself throughout Saturday and 
Sunday, a constant, unerring and deadly fire was kept up on 
the assailants by an almost invisible garrison. What will be 
the feeling of all military men when they are told that the 
whole of these works were defended by between eighty and 
one hundred and fifty insurgents!* How many of the in- 
surgents were killed on Sunday at the Barriere Rochechouart, 
think you, while the loss of the armed force was more than 
one thousand? Two — one of them shot through the brain 
while firing through a loop-hole not six inches in diameter. 
Five were wounded. They ran from loop-hole to loop-hole 
with the greatest agility, leaving the cover of the high wall 
only to seek ammunition. I was shown the mark of the 
crucible under the wall, in which they melted lead for bul- 
'iets, during the fight. They even attempted to fabricate 
gunpowder. 

26. "Against these men were brought as fine an army and 
as serviceable a park of artillery as the world could produce, 
and nothing less would have sufficed to dislodge them, unless 
their position had been turned, and they were attacked in 
the rear. Let us recollect, also, that on eight hundred other 
points of Paris, the troops were occupied in contending with 
the rebels, at the same moment, and how this must have 
embarrassed the general; that the usual means of obtaining 
information were not available, nor when information was 
obtained could it be relied on. When these facts are taken 
into consideration, there will not be so much surprise at the 
ofi"ensive and defensive efi"orts of the rebels, who, though 
comparatively few in number, were intimately acquainted with 
the ground, strongly fortified, and above all, supported by 
the sympathies and the positive co-operation of the whole 
population of the continuous line of town that borders the 
outer boulevard." 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What state of affairs was induced by a change from the pro- 

yisional to a permanent government ? 
1. Describe the occurrences of May 15, 1848. 
3. What was the result of the conflict between the mob and tha 

Assembly ? 

* Doubtless a mistake. The author had either underrated the 
actual force, or been deceived as to the numbers. Few barricades 
were destitute of several thousand defenders. 



454 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

4. What great national festival was celebrated May 21, 1848 ? 
6. What events happened immediately after the festival ? 

6. Describe the scene which took place when Louis Napoleoa 

entered the chamber of the Assembly as a member. 

7. State the respective relative positions of the working and 

middle classes. 

8. What followed the discharge of the workmen employed by 

the government? 

9. Give an account of what took place on the 22d of June, 1848. 

10. Detail the events which happened June 23. 

11. What was the result of the insurrection? 

12. Who was appointed commander-in-chief and dictator? 

13. Describe the condition of Paris during the insurrection. 

14. State what occurred at the Pantheon. 

15. How did the Archbishop of Paris meet his death? 

16. Describe the last moments of the martyred prelate. 

17. What effect was produced on the insurgents by his death 

18. Which was the last barricade stormed by the troops? 

19. What was the number of killed and wounded during the four 

days which the insurrection lasted ? 

20. State the occurrences of the night of July 11, 1848. 

21. Give the substance of Lamartine's speech before the com- 

mittee on foreign affairs, July 15. 

22. What plot had been arranged for consummation on the 14th 

of July ? 

23. State the nature of the laws made for the regulation of th€ 

Parisian clubs. 

24. Who was General Negrier,. and how was he killed ? 

25. 26. Give a description of the positions held by the insurgenta 

during the rebellion in June, 1848. 



RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 



455 




LouiB NapoleoHi 

CHAPTER XLVl. 

THE RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 



From germs like these have mighty statesmen sprung. 
Of prudent counsel and persuasive tongue; 
Unblenching minds, vpho rul'd the willing throng, 
Their well-braced nerves by early labor strung. 

Mrs. Sigoxjknet. 

i. When the insurrections of June had been suppressed, 
the Assembly resumed its sittings., Cavaignac, as President 
of the Council, being the real and efficient head of the 
government. The republic, which had but so recently bcoa 
established at the expense of many valuable lives, degene- 
rated into a mere military despotism, and furnished a sad com- 
mentary on the effects of political rivalry, which imperilled 
the great interests of the nation in an attempt to compass 
schemes of private aggrandizement Notwithstanding hia 
formal resignation, Cavaignac still exercised dictatorial 
powers, but with such firmness and moderation as to command 
respect from the different parties which were quietly stnig- 



456 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

gling for the supremacy. Paris was the field of action 
whereon the opposing factions deployed their forces — the 
National Legislature and an unliceased pre-ss the instruments 
with which they operated. 

2. The time having arrived for the election of a new rep- 
resentative in the departments which had once selected Louia 
Napoleon Bonaparte, and the latter having formally an- 
nounced his intention of serving his constituents, if elected, 
the people of five departments returned him to the Assembly 
by increased majorities. Immediately on being informed of 
the result, he set out for Paris, where he arrived Sept. 24, 
and fixed his residence in the Hotel de Rliine, on the Place 
Vendome. On the 26th of the same month he first pre- 
sented himself in the Assembly, where he attracted consi- 
derable notice. After the clerk, whose duty it was to read 
the returns of the elections in the five departments, had 
pei'formed his office, and the president of the Assembly had 
announced Louis Napoleon as a representative of the people, 
the prince ascended the tribune, and in an impressive man- 
ner read a declaration of his sentiments and purposes, which, 
by the great body of the Assembly, was received with 
silence, though the enthusiastic admirers of Napoleon ap- 
plauded it vehemently. 

3. The question of the mode of selecting the future 
President of the Republic was decided in the Assembly, 
after some discussion of three diflferent propositions, by the 
passage of a resolution, declaring that the President should 
be elected by universal suffrage, and the time fixed for the 
first election, December 10, 1848. A few days subsequently 
the laws of 1816 and 1832, exiling and proscribing the 
Bonaparte family, were formally repealed; thus removing 
the obstructions from the path of the aspiring prince. On 
the 4th of November the new constitution was adopted by 
an almost unanimous vote; and on Sunday, November 12, it 
was proclaimed in the Place de la Concorde, amid most 
solemn religious ceremonies, in presence of deputations from 
all the departments, the clergy of Paris, the National As- 
sembly, the municipal authorities, the National Guards in 
full uniform, and a vast assemblage of people. 

4. The candidates named for the Presidency were Lamar- 
tine, Changarnier, Ledru Kollin, Raspail, Cavaignac, and 
Louis Napoleon. The communistic faction of the Socialists 
supported Raspail, then a prisoner in the dungeons of Ver- 
sailles , the democratic portion favored Ledru RoUin ; whila 



RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 



457 



a third party, comprising the remnants of the "Working- 
men's Corporations," were loud in the advocacy of the claims 
of Eouis Blanc. The moderate party was likewise divided 
into three sections, represented respectively by Lamartine, 




General Changarnier. 



Cxvaignac, and Louis Napoleon — the latter being supportco 
by the four journals having the largest oirculation in France. 
Louis Napoleon was elected President by a majority of 
3,.556,400 votes over all his competitors- — his vote being 
39 



458 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

5,434,226, against 1,877,826 polled by all his opponents 
combined. 

5. The President was sworn into office on the the 2Cth of 
.December, in presence of the Assembly, after the chairman 
of the committee appointed to examine the returns had made 
his report. Previous to the ceremony of administering the 
oath, Gen. Cavaignac ascended the tribune, and stated that 
all the ministers of the late cabinet had tendered their 
resignations. At five o'clock in the afternoon, Louis Napo- 
leon entered the hall, and ascended the tribune, where the 
official oath was administered to him by M. Marrast, Presi- 
dent of the Assembly, after which he delivered his inaugural 
address, in substance the same as the views expressed in his 
proclamation anterior to his election. Long-protracted and 
loud applause greeted the conclusion of his speech. From 
the legislative halls he proceeded to the Elysee Palace under 
escort of a committee of the Assembly, and at once set about 
the formation of a cabinet, by appointing Odillon Barrot its 
President and Minister of Justice, Gen. Changarnier com- 
mander of the army in Paris, and M. de Maleville Minister 
of the Interior. The latter was, however, soon succeeded 
by M. Leon Fouchet. 

6. A bill brought forward in the Assembly by M. Fouchet, 
for the suppression of political clubs, was violently opposed 
by Ledru Rollin, and defeated by a majority of 76. Paris 
and the provinces were soon after disturbed by seditious 
movements, and on the 27th of January, 1849, a riot took 
place in the capital which threatened to be formidable. 
Mounted on his horse, and attended by only a few cuirassiers, 
the President rode up and down the boulevards, to note in 
person the progress of the disturbance. His boldness had 
the effect of restoring confidence to the public mind ; he was 
greeted everywhere with enthusiastic shouts of applause; 
and the Ked Republicans, perceiving their helplessness, for 
a time ceased their demonstrations of disaffection. These 
were not, however, the only conspirators in Paris ; the Bour- 
bonists, who hated the Republicans as much as they did the 
Bonapartists, wished to crush the first as preliminary to th'* 
destruction of the latter, and the elevation of either the 
Count de Chambord or the Count of Paris to the throne. 
These antagonistic parties caused great annoyance to the 
President in the Assembly, where his measures were so vio- 
lently opposed, that it was with difficulty he could procuro 



RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 



459 



the legislative sanction to the most necessary and salutary 
propositions. 




Plus IX. 



7. Pope Pius IX., who ascended the papal throne on the 
16th of June, 1846, inaugurated reform measures, with the 
view of establishing in the Roman States a representative 
form of government; but, while they failed to satisfy the 
liberals, they greatly offended the conservatives. The mis- 
taken clemency of the Pope caused the city of Rome, to 
become' the refuge of Red Republican agitators, French, 
German, and Italian, who so excited popular disturbances 
and poisoned the public mind, that at length Rossi, the 
vlinister of Foreign Affairs, was assassinated in open day. 
Surrounded and besieged in his residence by the mob, the 
Pope was compelled to accept a ministry of their appoint- 
ment; but at length he fled to Grseta, in the Austrian 
d'-minions. A provisional government was then formed by 
Vazzini and the Prince of Canino, son of Lucien Bonaparte, 
a republic proclaimed in Rome, and the downfall of the tem- 
poral power of the Pope announced. At this juncture the 
French government determined to interfere, and Gen. Oudi- 



460 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

not was sent, with four thousand troops, to invest the city 
of Rome ; but, being attacked by the revolutionists, the 
French were routed. Gren. Oudinot subsequently received 
adequate reinforcements, and orders from the President to 
attack the city; which he did on the 18th of May, obtaining 
complete possession of it. He re-established the Papal 
authority, and Mazzini, as also G-aribaldi, were obliged to fly 
for safety to England. 

8. On the 13th of May representatives in the National 
Assembly were elected throughout France, and the Red 
Republicans had so much increased in strength as to number 
200 members in that body. Ledru Rollin, returned by five 
departments, was so much elated as to exclaim repeatedly, 
" In one month I shall either be dictator, or be shot !" 
Violence and fury characterized the debates, and the Mes- 
sage of the President, sent in on the 7th of June, was furi- 
ously attacked by the Mountain, headed by Ledru Rollin, 
although it produced a favorable impression throughout 
France. Rollin accused the President and his ministers 
with a violation of the fifth article of the Constitution in 
sending the expedition against Rome. A popular tumult in 
the streets was the natural result of the excitement in the 
Assembly, and on the 18th the Red Republican journals 
announced that the people would on that day rise and over- 
turn the government. The streets were again filled with 
vast crowds bearing flags covered with revolutionary devices 
and mottoes ; but, before their violence had resulted in harm, 
they were attacked by several battalions of troops under 
command of General Changarnier, and immediately dis- 
persed. Ledi'u Rollin, M. Gonsiderant, and the other leaders 
of the insurrection, who had assembled in the Observatory 
to form a provisional government, were compelled to take 
sudden flight through a window, and make their way to 
England as fast as possible. Their confederates being dis- 
persed and defeated, by four o'clock in the afternoon the 
capital was again in a tranquil condition. This victory was 
achieved on the same day that Gren. Oudinot obtained com- 
plete possession of Rome. 

9. After the election, the first question presented for the 
consideration of the Assembly, was the abrogation of the 
law of universal suftVage ; and, after a very lengthy debate^ 
it was decided that the qualification of a voter should be a 
residence of three years in the commune in which he claimed 
the ri"ht of sufl'raae, and the evidence of such residence tho 



RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 



461 




RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 463 

regular in&ertijn of the name of the voter in the register of 
tax-payers during the specified period. The law received 
the sanction of the Assembly by a majority of two hundred 
and fifty, and the President signed the bill, at the same time 
remarking : " I am willing that there should be a temporary 
suspension of the right of universal suffrage. In an urgent 
crisis, the law can suspend a right; but it can never abrogate 
or annul it. Universal sufi"rage must be restored as soon as 
circumstances permit." Although this measure was intended 
by the order party as a preventive to the re-election of Louis 
Napoleon to the presidency, as well as a blow at the Socialist 
organization, yet the President did not hesitate a moment in 
signing the decree ; as he well knew that the moment for 
action on his part had not yet come, and that the constant 
change in public sentiment throughout France was likely to 
cause the repeal, in a very short time, of a law which must 
naturally prove obnoxious to the masses. 

10. A proposition to increase the President's salary was 
introduced into the Assembly in June of this year, and, 
although strenuously opposed, was carried by a small ma- 
jority. When about to adjourn in the autumn of 1850, a 
Committee of Permanence was appointed, in which Odillon 
Barrot was the only person favorably disposed toward the 
President; the others being either openly or secretly opposed 
to himself and his administration. 

11. In August and September of the same year, Louis 
Napoleon made a tour through the kingdom, being every- 
where greeted with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of 
afi"ection, and speaking at many public banquets which were 
tendered him; but on his return to Paris, he found arrayed 
against him a foe of no inconsiderable consequence. G-en.. 
Changarnler, commander-in-chief of the National Guards 
and of the army of Paris, a man of ability, but ambitious 
and unscrupulous, was using his utmost endeavors to with- 
draw from the President the support of the army. The first 
public difi"erence between the President and the General was 
in relation to the supreme control of the army, which was 
claimed by the Minister of War, but disputed by Chan- 
garnier. The President very naturally supported his minis- 
ter, and Changarnier immediately set about the organization 
of a conspiracy for the impeachment and deposition of the 
Executive. 

12. The Assembly being likewise hostile to the President, 
attempted to aid Changarnier in his movements by passing a 



464 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

decree asserting the supreme control of the army to be vested 
;n the legislative body. The Minister of War, conceiving 
that the passage of such a decree divested him of all juris- 
diction, immediately tendered his resignation to the Presi- 
dent, who not only accepted it, but at the same moment dis- 
missed Changarnier from his post as chief commander, and 
appointed Gens. Perrot and d'Hilliers in his place. Unpre- 
pared for such a step, the plotting General and his colleagues 
were so thoroughly astounded that they knew not what to 
do ; but the Assembly revenged itself by passing a vote of 
confidence in Changarnier and of distrust of the ministry, 
whereupon the latter instantly resigned. The President at 
once selected a new cabinet, from men occupying a neutral 
position, and unconnected with the Assembly; but, as may 
be supposed, this evidence of self-reliance and independence 
of character, tended to increase rather than abate, the oppo- 
sition of the Assembly, and to give a fresh vigor to the 
action of conspirators, who had now an additional reason for 
desiring to remove from their path to power, such a formi- 
dable and fearless foe. 

13. The attention of the nation was absorbed during May, 
1851, by the revision of the Constitution by a committee of 
the Assembly. This document was so loosely drawn up, as 
not to clearly define the duties and powers of the several 
departments of the government, and it had led to much con- 
fusion, as well as opened a door for the ingress of many 
flagrant abuses of power. The people universally desired its 
alteration, and watched with much interest the progress 
made in this work by their representatives. 

14. On the occasion of the opening of the railroad at 
Dijon in June, 1851, Louis Napoleon made a speech, in 
which he vindicated his policy, explained his purposes, and 
intimated that he should at the proper time appeal to tho 
nation for support against the factions which were endeavor- 
ing to crush him. In effect, he intimated that there was but 
one way to save the nation from impending ruin, and that 
was by the re-establishment of the Empire. This speech 
was the theme of a denunciatory discussion in the Assembly, 
and was loudly condemned by the various factions, but it met 
the views of the nation at large, who more than ever appre- 
ciated the talents and courage of their President. 

15. A large number of petitions having been sent in to 
the Assembly praying for an extension of the term of the 
presidency to ten years, by an alteration of the ConstitutioD 



RISE OF LOUIS NAPOLEON. 465 

to that eiFect, the discussion on the revision b'^gan in the 
Assembly on the 14th of July. The Socialists were opposed 
to any revision, while the Bourbonists and Orleanists favored 
an entire change. On the other hand, the Bonapartista 
desired nothing altered but the forty-fifth article, which pro- 
hibited the re-election of Louis Napoleon. The Constitution 
containing a provision, that five hundred votes must be 
registered in favor of a revision, otherwise no alteration could 
be made, when the final vote was taken, the afiirmative vote 
being 446 against 278 negative, the Constitution remained 
unaltered. All the factions opposed to the extension of the 
term of Louis Napoleon beyond four years, united together 
to produce this result. 

16. When the Assembly again convened after the usual 
summer recess, one of the first measures proposed was the 
repeal of the law limiting the elective franchise. The min- 
istry desired to give the right of voting to each native-born 
citizen who was twenty-one years of age, and six months a 
resident of a particular commune ; but, after a long and vio- 
lent debate, the measure was defeated by a majority of but 
three votes. Disappointed, but not disconcerted, Louis 
Napoleon changed his tactics ; and, determined to secure 
the imperial diadem, he immediately turned his attention to 
another method of accomplishing his cherished purpose. 

17. The ministry having resigned after their defeat, the 
President named Gen. Leroy St. Arnaud, Minister of War ; 
M. de Maupas, Minister of Police; and M. Thorigny, Min- 
ister of the Interior. Perceiving that the crisis which he 
had long foreseen, was approaching, the President took 
counsel in secret with De Morny, Magnan, and Persigny, 
three men whose fame and fortunes have been inseparably 
connected with his own. At this time his enemies were 
preparing to consummate their plots against his authority 
and life ; and they had even progressed so far as to discuss 
the nomination of his successor. In some departments of 
the nation a desperate populace were marching from point 
to point, threatening conflagration and pillage to the orderly 
and industrious; and the security, as well as the prosperity 
of the French people, seemed to demand that a decisive stop 
should be taken by the President without delay, to rescue 
them from the horrors of anarchy, and himself from destruc- 
tion. Fully realizing all the dangers which surrounded him, 
he made his preparations with coolness, energy, and sagacity; 
and when all was ready for the performance of the great deed 

30 



466 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

on which depended his future fate and that of millions, the 
blow was struck with such precision and force as to paralyze 
all opposition and elicit admiration even from his most bitter 
enemies. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. How did Gen. Cavaignac acquit himself of his duties as Presi- 

dent of the Council ? 

2. How was Napoleon received by the Assembly after his re- 

election to a seat in that body ? 

8. What was the decision of the Assembly in relation to the 
presidential election, and the laws exiling and proscribing 
the Bonapartes ? 

4 Name the candidates for the Presidency, state who was suc- 
cessful, and give the majority. 

5. When and how was the oath of office administered to the 

President? 

6. What took place on the 27th of January, 1849? 

7. Describe the occurrences in Rome, and their result. 

8. State the events of May 18, 1849, and what is said of Ledrn 

Rollin, M. Considerant, and their colleagues. 

9. Why was the law granting universal suffrage repealed ? 

10. Who was the only person in the Committee of Permanence 

favorable to Napoleon ? 

11. What was the cause of the first quarrel between the President 

and Gen. Changarnier? 

12. How did the President meet the opposition of the Assembly? 

13. What attracted public attention during May, 1851? 

14. What was the purport of Louis Napoleon's speech at Dijon ? 

15. What was the decision of the Assembly regarding the revision 

of the Constitution ? 

16. By what majority was the law repealing the limitation of suf- 

frage defeated ? 

17. Whom did the President appoint to the positions in his cabinet 

vacated by the resignation of the former ministry ? 



2B 



THE COUP D'ETAT. 



467 




CHAPTER XL VII. 

THE COUP D'ETAT. 



I find my zenith doth depend upon 
A most suspicious star; whose influence 
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes 
Will ever after droop. 

Shakspeare's Tempest. 



1. Louis Napoleon's usurpation of absolute power closely 
resembled in many of its details the acts by which Cromwell 
and the first Napoleon elevated themselves to the pinnacle 
of authority, and crushed out the legislalsve bodies, which 
presented the only obstacle to the consummation of their 
ambitious views. The night of December 2, 1851, waa 
selected by the President for the final blow; and during the 
night of Monday, the 1st, he made the necessary preparations 
for the destruction of the opposing authority. He then in- 
formed his ministers in writing that, as he was about to resist 
the eff'orts of his enemies to sacrifice him, if they did not 
wish to be compromised by his acts, they would do well to 
resign their jjlaces ; which hint was sufficient, and each one 
sent in a letter tendering his resignation. 

2. About five o'clock on the morning of Tuesday all the 
principal streets of the capital were occupied by strong bodies 
?f troops, and before that hour those military leaders and 



468 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

prominent men among the representatives, whom Louis 
Napoleon knew were opposed to his designs, were arrested 
and imprisoned. Grenerals Cavaignac, Changarnier, De La- 
moriciere, Bedeau, and Leflo, Colonel Charras, MM. Thiers, 
Lagrange, Valentine, Panat, Michel (de Bourgcs), Beaune, 
Greppo, Miot, Nadaud, Roger (du Nord), and Baze, were 
arrested in their houses by detachments of police, assisted 
by parties of tlie guard, and immediately conveyed to the 
Chateau of Vincennes. With the exception of M. Thiers, 
who was transferred to the prison of Mazas, the prisoners 
were all subsequently removed to Ham. Contemporaneously 
with the above mentioned arrests, commissaries of the police 
visited the publication offices of the different journals, and 
directed the course to be pursued by some, while others were 
suspended. 

3. When day dawned the populace were somewhat sur- 
prised to find the walls of the city covered with placards, 
containing the following decree : " In the name of the French 
people, the President of the Republic decrees : 1. The Na- 
tional Assembly is dissolved. 2. Universal suffrage is re- 
established; the law of the 31st May is repealed. 3. The 
French people are convoked in their communes from the 14th 
to the 21st December. 4. The state of siege is decreed in 
the whole of the first military division. 5. The Council of 
State is dissolved. 6. The Minister of the Interior is charged 
with the execution of this decree. — Louis Napoleon Bona- 
parte." 

4. An appeal to the people by the President was issued at 
a later hour, and posted on the walls. He declared that he 
had faithfully observed the Constitution, but that he felt it 
to be his duty to dissolve the Assembly, which was attacking 
his power, and compromising the peace of France, and to 
baffle the schemes of those who were seeking to overthrow 
the Republic. He professed an unwillingness longer to 
retain a power of a negative character, and desired the peo- 
ple, if they wished him to continue at his post, to give him 
the means of fulfilling his mission, which he said was to close 
the era of revolutions. For this purpose he submitted to 
them the basis of a Constitution, providing for the election 
of a responsible head for ten years; a ministry dependent on 
the Executive ; a Council of State to originate and discuss 
laws ; a legislative body, chosen by universal suffrage, with 
power to discuss and enact laws; a second assembly, made 
up from the most talented men of the nation. On the basi» 



THE COUP D'ETAT. 469 

of these propositiong he asked the people to vote for or 
against him, declaring that, if he did not obtain the sanction 
of a niajority, he would surrender his power. A proclama- 
tion was likewise issued to the army, in which Louis Xapo- 
leon informed the soldiery that he relied on them to suppon 
the sovereignty of the nation, of which he was the legitimate 
representative, and reminding them of the insults formerly 
heaped upon them, requested them to vote as citizens, but to 
obey as soldiers. 

5. A portion of the Assembly, to the number of two hun- 
dred members, assembled at the house of M. Daru, one of 
the Vice Presidents of the Assembly, and decided to proceed 
to the usual place of meeting; but, on arriving there, an 
armed guard refused them admission. They then returned 
to the residence of M. Daru, where they were about to 
organize, when a message was received from Gen. Lauriston, 
tendering them the use of the Mairie of the tenth arron- 
dissement, and guaranteeing to defend them against violence. 
Repairing thither, they entered into session, and after some 
deliberation, declared Louis Napoleon's conduct to be illegal, 
and decreed his deposition, in accordance with Article 68 of 
the Constitution. They also issued a decree, which was 
signed by all the members of the Assembly there present, 
freeing the officers of the army and navy, as well as all civil 
public functionaries, from their oaths of obedience to the 
President, and convoking the High Court of judges to try 
him and his ministers. This Court attempted to meet during 
the day, but was dispersed by the soldiery. Scarcely had 
this fragment of the Assembly decided upon a course of 
action, when the building was surrounded by troops, and the 
members dispersed by force. For an attempt to meet else- 
where, about L50 of the members were arrested aud com- 
mitted to prison j but they were released after being confined 
for one day. 

6. Throughout the city of Paris no attempt at resistance 
was made by the people, who read and commented on the 
decrees with seeming indifference; and from the different 
departments full assurances of assent to the new order of 
things were received. But on Wednesday mornincr, the 3d 
of December, when a list was published, containing the 
names of 120 persons appointed by the President as a Con- 
sultative Commission, of whom over eighty subsequently 
refused to serve, symptoms of discontent began to appear. 
A-bout 10 o'clock M. Baudin, a representative, followed by 

40 



470 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

several persons, appeared on horseback in the Rue St. An- 
toine, and flourishing a drawn sword, so aroused the feelings 
of the mob which collected around him, that a slight barri- 
cade was erected ; but the arrival of troops from an opposite 
quarter hemmed in the rioters, who were speedily dispered, 
and M. Baudin, with two other representatives, paid the 
forfeit of their temerity with their lives. 

7. Insurrection began to assume a bold front on Thursday 
morning, and barricades were thrown up in many of the 
streets ; but at noon the boulevards were swept by large 
bodies of troops, who brought a park of artillery to bear upon 
the populace, battering the buildings in a shameful manner, 
and killing many respectable people who had been attracted 
to their windows merely as spectators. The object of the 
government being to strike terror into the people, the troops 
were instructed to spare none who made a show of resistance j 
and in obeying these orders more than 2000 persons were 
killed, many of whom were innocent of any overt act. In 
this manner was the rebellion crushed, and by nightfall the 
city was again quiet. 

8. In the departments, however, more particularly in the 
frontier districts of the south-east, the insurrectionary move- 
ments began to give trouble. The rural population of the 
valley of the Rhine, and, in fact, that of the entire country 
between Joigny and Lyons, rose in opposition to the usurpa- 
tion. In the frontier districts of the Sardinian and Swiss 
Alps, as also in the Herault, and the Nievre, there was a 
sanguinary struggle between the populace and the soldiery, 
distinguished in many localities by most revolting acts and 
scenes; but after two or three days' hard fighting all resist- 
ance ceased, and things were allowed to take their course. 

9. Meantime preparations were made for the election, 
which took place on Saturday and Sunday, the 20th and 21st 
of December, a^Jd the question submitted to the people was, 
whether or not Louis Napoleon should hold his office for ten 
Years. No other candidate was allowed to be named, and the 
election was conducted quietly — the government discouraging 
the printing and distribution of negative ballots. The army 
voted first, and, as was to be expected, with but few excep- 
tions, cast their ballots in favor of the prolonged term; while 
the result of the popular and military election was a majority 
of 6,761,659 votes in support of the Presidential policy — 
the entire vote polled having been, 7,439,216 affirmative, 
against but 677,557 negative. 



THE COUP D'ETAT. 471 

10. On the Ist day of January, 1851, the result of the 
election was celebrated by a salute of seventy rounds of artil- 
lery, fired at the Invalides at 10 o'clock, A. M. ; by the 
singing of the Te Deum at noon in the church of Notre 
Dame ; the President being in attendance, and the ceremo- 
nies conducted with all possible pomp and magnificence ; 
and by a grand banquet at the Tuilleries, at which 400 per- 
sons participated. Previous to the banquet Louis Napoleon 
received the congratulations of the authorities, the Consulta- 
tive Commission having, the day before, formally notified 
him of the result of the election, when he took occasion to 
say, that France, by justifying him in an act which had for 
its object the rescue of France, and perhaps Europe, from 
years of trouble and anarchy, evinced its comprehension of 
the fact, that he had departed from legality only to return to 
right; that he fully understood all the grandeur as well as 
the diflaculties of his new mission, and hoped to found such 
institutions as would preserve the democratic sentiment of 
the nation, while contributing to the support of a government 
which would command respect. By a decree, issued soon 
after, the French eagle was reinstated on the national ensigns 
and on the Cross of the Legion of Honor. 

11. On the 28th of December, a decree was issued dis- 
Bolving and reorganizing the Municipal Council of the De- 
partment of the Seine — thirteen of the old members being 
superseded by more subservient instruments of the President. 
The Chamber of Commerce at Havre was dissolved, and the 
protest against the usurpation recorded in its journal erased 
therefrom. Another decree directed the words " liberty, 
equality, and fraternity" to be erased, as also all political 
inscriptions ; because, in the language of the ordinance, they 
furnished •' for the people a perpetual excitement to revolt."" 
For the same reason all "liberty trees" in Paris and tho 
departments were ordered to be destroyed. The military 
establishment was remodelled, and divided into twenty-one 
principal commands, all subject to the authority of the 
President, as commander-in-chief. A decree, dated January 
9, expelled from France, Algeria, and the Colonies, sixty-six 
members of the late Legislative Assembly, among whom was 
Victor Hugo; and their return, except by special permission, 
was forbidden under pain of deportation. Another decree, 
dated the same day, consigned eighteen ex-representatives 
to temporary banishment. In this list were included all the 
Grenerals in prison at Ham, with the exception of Cavaignac, 



472 HISTORY OF FKANCE. 

to whom permission was granted to go to Italy, which he 
refused to accept, and at his own request he was also plaped 
on the retired list. Sue, Thiers and Girardin were also in- 
cluded among the proscribed ; and 2500 political prisonars 
were transported to Cayenne. 

12. On the opening of the sessions of the new Senate and 
Legislature, March 29, 1852, the President made a speech, 
briefly rehearsing his reasons for the usurpation of power, 
and alluding to the readiness with which the people had 
submitted to a temporary suspension of their liberties, he 
cited it as a proof of their conviction that they had been 
abused. Gen. Cavaignac refused to take his seat, as he could 
not take the required oath. A decree issued previous to the 
opening of the session, regulated the mode of doing business 
in the Senate, Council of State, and Legislative Corps, 
Another decree, issued about the same time, fixed the civil 
list at 12,000,000 francs; although it had been expected 
that this matter would have been left to the discretion of the 
Legislature. 

13. The highest judicial authorities of the nation attended 
at the Elysee on the evening of April 4, to take the pre- 
scribed constitutional oaths in presence of Louis Napoleon 
and his ministry. In reply to a complimentary speech from 
one of the judges in behalf of his colleagues, the President 
said — " Since the day on which the doctrine of the hereditary 
sovereignty of the people replaced that of divine right, it 
may be affirmed with truth that no government has been as 
legitimate as mine. In 1804, 4,000,000 of votes, in pro- 
claiming the power to be hereditary in my family, designated 
me as heir to the empire. In 1848, nearly 6,000,000 called 
me to the head of the Republic. In 1851, nearly 8,000,000 
maintained me there. Consequently, in taking the oath to 
me, it is not merely to a man that you swear to be faithful, 
but to a principle — to a cause — to the national will itself." 
This speech was generally considered to indicate pretensions 
to the possession of imperial authority, soon to be publicly 
asserted. Indeed, the 5th of May, which had been set apart 
for a grand military review, was rumored to be the day on 
which the empire would be formally proclaimed. 

14. A circular letter was sent by the Mioistor of the Infe- 
rior to the Prefects of the departments, directing a "porgani- 
zation of the National Guard on a new basis ; the go>^<"<'nment 
limiting the number of citizens to be enrolled, a?suiwing to 
itself the right to say when they should be calied ou^t, and 



THE COUP D'ETAT. 473 

directing the selection of members in each district by a 
special committee appointed by the executive. The ranks 
were to be filled with those citizens, between the ages of 
twenty-five and forty-five, who were distinguished for their 
devotion to the cause of order, which meant, in efiect, devo- 
tioE to the person of the President and his cause. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What did Louis Napoleon do on the night of December 1, 1850, 

and what course did he pursue with regard to his ministers ? 

2. Detail the events which occurred on Tuesday, the 2d of De- 

cember. 

3. Give the substance of the decree posted on the walls of Paris. 

4. State the basis of the Constitution submitted to the people by 

Louis Napoleon. 

5. "What action did the members of the Assembly take with 

respect to the usurpation of power by the President? 

6. Give an account of what occurred on AYednesday, December 3. 

7. What occurred on Thursday, what was the result, and how 

many persons were killed ? 

8. How did the people of the departments conduct themselves 

at this period? 

9. State the circumstances connected with the election, and the 

result. 

10. What celebration took place January 1, 1851 ? 

11. State the substance of the decrees issued on the 28th of De- 

cember, and subsequently. 

12. What occurred on and before the opening of the sessions of 

the new Senate and Assembly ? 

13. Repeat the speech made to the judicial authorities by Nap<H 

leon, on the 4th of April, 1851. 

14. On what basis was the National Guard reorganized? 



40* 



474 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




CHAPTER XL VIII. 



LOUIS NAPOLEON, EMPEROR— THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETi> 



Let kings remember they are set on thrones 

As representatives, not substitutes 

Of nations, to implead with God and man. 

Bailey's Festds. 



I. In preparation of the public mind for his meditated 
attempt to restore the imperial throne established by his 
uncle, and which he conceived it to be his destiny to fill, 
Louis Napoleon, by means of newspaper agents and a hireling 
press, created in the minds of the middle classes a great dis- 
trust of the Socialists, who were charged with a design to 
seize upon and divide all the property in France, according 
to the broadest communistic principles. At the same time, 
oy restoring the Pantheon to its original use as a place of 
worship, and by promising an earnest support of the Church, 
he ingratiated himself with the clergy, and thereby secured 
their influence with the religiously-inclined portion of the 
populace. Having accomplished thus much, be made a 



THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETC. 475 

tour through some of the provinces, and was generally re- 
ceived with enthusiasm; though at Marseilles he narrowly- 
escaped assassination by means of an infernal machine. On 
the whole, however, his. journey proved to be highly satis- 
factory, and very favorable to the accomplishment of his 
ambitious designs. 

2. As a necessary precaution against the influence of the 
Orleans family, which they wielded through the immense 
property they still held in France, and to prevent its use at the 
ballot-bos in defeating a triumphant and unanimous declara- 
tion of the people in favor of the imperial aspirations of the 
President, the latter issued, on the 22d of January, 1852, a 
decree compelling them to sell all their property within one 
year. This step he justified by the necessities of the case, 
and by an appeal to the example of former rulers of the 
French nation. When all was ready for the grand denoue- 
ment, and the entire nation convinced either of the benefits 
likely to result from the re-establishment of the empire, or 
of the folly of opposing its restoration, a decree was promul- 
gated, directing the people to indicate their sentiments, 
favorable or otherwise, at the ballot-box. The election being 
conducted in the same manner as the one by which the 
Presidency had been extended to ten years, the result was 
necessarily the same — the vote officially returned being as 
follows : Affirmative, 7,864,180 ; negative, 253,145 ; scat- 
tering, 63,326. Thus was the Empire restored in the person 
of the son of Hortense, whose mother's connection with the 
great Napoleon seemed to have exercised a singular sway 
over his destinies; and by an apparently unanimous vote, 
the imperial crown was placed on the brow of a man, who, 
but a few years previously, had not the slightest prospect of 
attaining such an exalted position. 

3. Napoleon's first step after securing the imperial throne, 
was to crush out and exterminate such of his active enemies 
as still remained in France ; and in the accomplishment of 
his purpose the sanctity of private life was invaded, the 
papers of suspected persons seized, and themselves sent to 
prison. In this way a great number of persons throughout 
France, who had been active in opposing the restoration of 
imperialism, were convicted of treason, and banished to 
Algeria or Cayenne. The next movement was the consiim« 
mation of a marriage, by which his family might be perpe- 
tuated; and with this view the ambassadors at the several 
iLuropcan courts were directed to make proposals for nego- 



476 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

tiating a match. For some unexplained reason, he was met 
with a refusal on every hand, which was not only disagreeable 
to his feelings, but actually dangerous to the permanence of 
his throne. Never at a loss, however, in any emergency, he 
immediately selected for his bride a Spanish lady, Mile, de 
Montijo, Countess de Teba, who was unconnected by ties of 
blood with any ruling power. The approaching nuptials 
were announced to the Senate on the 22d of January, 1853, 
and the civil marriage was celebrated at the Tuilleries on the 
29th of the same month. On the following day, which was 
Sunday, the religious ceremonies were celebrated with great 
jnagnificence in the cathedral of Notre Dame. The Empe- 
ror, as an act of grace, granted an amnesty to 5000 persons 
who were suffering either imprisonment or banishment for 
political offences. 

4. The joy which had been occasioned by the imperial 
nuptials had scarcely subsided, when the clouds in the j)oli- 
tical horizon of Eastern Europe began to exhibit unmis- 
takable symptoms of an approaching war. In the beginning 
of the year 1853, dissension arose between Russia and Turkey 
in relation to the guardianship of the " Holy Places" — the 
Porte justly considering the claim of the Czar to exercise a 
protectorate over the Greek Christians in the Turkish domi- 
nions, as an infi-ingement of her sovereign rights. By the 
advice of the British and French ministers, the demands of 
the Czar were rejected; though, by a " hatti-sheriff," the 
Sultan confirmed all the privileges of his Greek subjects. 
The Czar immediately occupied Moldavia and Wallachia with 
his troops, the evacuation of which was demanded by the 
Sultan within a specified period, on the alternative of a 
declaration of war. The French and English squadrons 
were dispatched to the Dardanelles, while England, France, 
Prussia, and Austria, alarmed for the balance of power in 
Europe, attempted to avert hostilities by negotiation. The 
Sultan's demand, which was made by the advice of the 
Western powers, having been rejected by Russia, the former 
prepared vigorously for hostilities, and required the co-opera- 
tion of the allied fleets. Even the Greek Christians in 
Turkey sided with their government against the attempted 
interference of the Czar. 

5. Toward the close of October, 1858, the Turks crossed 
the Danube at four different points, their principal movement 
being at Oltenitza. They were successful in several battles j 
but, on the 13th of November, a Turkish fleet at Sinope, on 



THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETC. 



477 



the Black Sea, was completely destroyed by a Russian naval 
force, and the admiral taken prisoner. In Asia, however, 
the Turks were almost invariably successful. When too late 
to effect anything in that year's campaign, the Western 




powers aroused themselves from their state of masterly inac- 
tivity, and the French and English squadrons were ordered 
into the Black Sea, to protect the Turks, and operate as a 
check upon the Russian movements. 

6. The Turks followed ud the advantages they had gained 



478 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

on the Danabe, by driving the Russians witb great loss from 
the positions they occupied. In April, 1854, as the Czar 
still rejected all proposals for an accommodation of the diflS- 
culty, France and England made extensive preparations for 
the war, though Austria and Prussia assumed a neutral alti- 
tude. The French people at once subscribed 25,000,000 
francs to defray the expenses of the war, and 90,000 French 
and British troops set out for the Danube under the command 
of Marshal St. Arnaud and Lord Eaglan. The most pow- 
erful fleet ever equipped was dispatched to the Baltic under 
the commond of Sir Charles Napier. Anticipating the 
arrival of the allied armies, Prince (Jortschakoflf, the Russian 
commander-in-chief, passed the Danube, though strongly 
opposed by the Turks, and at the cost of a large number of 
men. The Turks, however, being animated with fresh cou- 
jage and enthusiasm by intelligence received of the joint 
declaration of war against Russia by France and England, 
fell back in good order upon Trajan's wall. 

7. Russian intrigue created an insurrection during the 
summer in the Greek dependencies of the Sultan, which 
King Otho was suspected of secretly promoting. In most 
instances, however, the insurgents were defeated by the 
Turks, and the rebellion was finally crushed by a French 
force which was landed in the disaffected districts. Mussa 
Pacha defended Silistria against 90,000 Russians under Pas- 
kiewitch, with such good effect that the latter were totally 
defeated and driven out of the Principalities, which were 
then occupied by the Austrians under a treaty of neutrality 
with the Sultan. 

8. A long period of total inaction was followed by an 
expedition, composed of the Anglo-French army and a small 
force of Turks, which, on the 14th September, landed at 
Eupatoria, in the Crimea, and on the 20th defeated the Rus- 
sians at Alma. Although suffering terribly from disease, 
Marshal St. Arnaud was in the saddle on that occasion for 
sixteen hours, which so prostrated him that he was compelled 
to resign his command to Gren. Canrobert ; and on the 30th 
of the same mouth, ten days after the battle, a vessel bearing 
his corpse entered the harbor of Constantinople. The allies 
executed a masterly flank march to Balaklava, on the south 
side of Sebastopol, the siege of which place was commenced 
on the 17th of October. 

9. On the 25th of October, a krge body of Russians 
crossed the Tchernaya at Tchorgoum, and pushed forward to 



THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETC, 479 

Kamara, where, in a few hours, they possessed themselveg 
of the redoubts occupied by the Turks, and turned the guns 
against the allies. Extending their forces thence over the 
heights of Kamara and south of Balaklava, the liussians 
made great exertions to keep their ground. In an endeavor 
to dislodge them by a cavalry attack, the greater part of the 
English Light Cavalry Brigade was destroyed. This succesa 
of the Russians brought them to the left bank of the Tcher- 
•naya, near the English head-quarters and their line of 
retreat, while the allies could not send a sufficient force to 
dislodge their dangerous neighbors without hazarding their 
own position before Sebastopol. 

10. The battle of Inkermann, fought on the 5th of No- 
vember, was a bloody struggle, in which the bayonet was 
frequently the only weapon used. It raged from early morn- 
ing until noon with varying success, when the Russians 
began to retire ; but, taking advantage of the heavy fog, they 
again advanced, and opened a tremendous cannonade, only 
to be a second time repulsed. They then sullenly withdrew 
from the heights under the protection of their crushing 
artillery. The anticipations of MenschikoflF were not realized 
in this action. He had planned an attack on the right flank 
of the allies from Karabelusia and Inkermann, to be sup- 
ported by a simultaneous sortie of the garrison of Sebastopol 
against the left wing, when, the moment the allies began to 
give way, the corps at Kamara was directed to swoop down 
upon the line of retreat and accomplish their complete de- 
struction. The English commander was much censured for 
not occupying the heights of Inkermann, and thus prevent- 
ing what was in fact such a complete surprise, that it had 
weakened the allied armies so much as to compel them to 
assume a defensive rather than an offensive attitude until the 
arrival of reinforcements. 

11. After a winter made memorable by the hardships en- 
dured by the troops, another bombardment of Sebastopol 
was commenced, and continued for several days without 
effecting anything toward the reduction of the fortress. In 
consequence Canrobert fell into disgrace, and was replaced 
by Gen. Pelissier, a man noted for his energy and daring 
character. On the 17th of February the Russians attacked 
Eupatoria, where the Turks, under Omar Pacha, were en- 
trenched ; but after some hours spent in hard fighting tl)e 
former retired, with considerable loss, while the weakness of 
the Turks prevented them from pursuing their enemies. 



480 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



12. The Emperor Nicholas, of Russia, died on the 2d of 
March, 1855, from an attack of influenza, and was quietly 
succeeded by his eldest son, the Grrand Duke Alexander, who 
announced his intention of carrying out his father's policy. 
Meanwhile, a conference of the Four Powers had been 
eitting at Vienna, with the purpose of reconciling the esist- 




Omar Pacha. 

ing differences; but the demand of the allies that the vessels 
of war of all nations should be excluded from the Black Sea, 
was rejected by the Russian government, and this led to au 
immediate suspension of the conference. 

io. On the 22d of March a battle was fought between the 
Russians and French, with a loss of 2000 men by the former. 



482 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 





THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETC. 483 

in killed and wounded, and over 600 men by the latter. The 
towns of Kertch and Yenikale, on the Sea of Azof, wero 
taken by a detachment of the allies under Sir Greorge Brown, 
without opposition ; and subsequently several other towns 
were captured without a blow being struck. The attack upon 
Sebastopol was renewed on the 7th of June, and mainly 
directed against the Malakoff Tower, the Redan, and the 
Mamelon, works by which it was protected. After a can- 
nonade of more than twenty hours, on the evening of the 
8th, a French column attacked the Mamelon, and at the 
same time the English proceeded to the parallel attack. The 
two detachments drove the Russians out of the Mamelon and 
Round Towers, after a hot engagement, and retained pos- 
session of them. On the 18th an attack was made on the 
Malakoff Tower, which resulted disastrously. Lord Raglan, 
the English commander, died on the 28th of June, and was 
succeeded by Gen. Simpson. In the Baltic, the allied fleets 
opened a fire upon Sweaborg on the 9th of August, which 
was not intermitted until the morning of the 11th; but 
beyond the destruction of a few buildings and the partial 
injury of the fortifications, but little was accomplished. 

14. A most important action took place on the 16th of 
August, when the Russians, in number 50,000 or 60,000, 
aWacked the French and Sardinians at Tchernaya, who re- 
pulsed them, with the loss of several thousand men, after a 
hard fight of three hours' duration. On the 7th of Septem- 
ber the allies made a final attack on the Redan and Malakoff 
Towers, after having bombarded Sebastopol for two days. 
The latter being taken by the French, the Russians aban- 
doned the southern part of the place, and left the town as 
well as the harbor in the possession of the allies. Thus fell 
Sebastopol. Three great battles had been fought beneath 
its walls, and four bombardments of hitherto unknown fierce- 
ness had been directed against its walls and bastions. The 
siege occupied nearly twelve months, and more than 100,000 
men perished by wounds and disease within and before il.s 
walls. In different attacks the besieging army had 800 guirj 
mounted, which fired more than 1,600,000 rounds, and the 
approaches, dug during 366 days, through rocky ground, and 
in extent 54 English miles, were made under a constant fire, 
and with incessant combats by day and night. 

15. The French not having had any connection with the 
Turkish operations in Asia, we will not enter into a detail of 
them here, further than to state that the Russians were 



484 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



strongly opposed in the Caucasus by the hero-prophet 
Schamyl, who having received money, arms and instructions 
from the Turks as early as November, 1853, descended from 
his mountain fastnesses with 16,000 men, and attacked the 




Schamyl. 



army of Prince Woronzoff, in number 30,000, which he 
compelled to retire to Tiflis after a murderous engagement. 
A second army of 20,000 Russians was attacked, while 
marching ■^ om Tiflis to Dariel, by the Circassians under 



THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETC. 485 

command of Naib Mehemet Emir, who defeato'l tliem -witli 
a los3 of 2000 nifin and three guns. The Turkish forces in 
Asia, under several difi'erent commanders, behaved witli 
remarkable spirit, and defeated the Russians in a few well- 
contested battles; but the latter returned these little com- 
ptiment? with interest, and captured some important positions 
held by the Turks, proniinent among which was the town of 
Kars. 

16. The allies followed up the capture of Sebastopol by 
blowing up all the splendid docks, arsenals, and ship-yards 
of that city. After some time an expedition, composed of 
15,000 French and 4000 English troops set sail from Bahik- 
lava, and njaking a feint of attacking Odessa, landed, Oct. 
15, on the Spit of Kinburn, which fortress was captured, 
after a severe bonjbardment, and the garrison, 1500 strong, 
taken prisoners. The neighboring fortress of Oczakoff Point 
was de.-;troyed by the Russians to prevent its sharing a similar 
fate. Gen. Simpson having been superseded by Gen. Cod- 
rington, the latter announced his assumption of the chief 
command in a neat address. In tYie latter part of Xovember 
a brilliant victory was achieved by Omar Pacha, who forced 
a pas-sa^iG over the river Ingour, in the face of the Piussian 
batteries on the opposite bank, and obliged the Russians to 
evacuate their batteries, and retreat to Kutais. 

17. Early in the year 1856, an armistice was proclaimed 
between the opposing armies, and a few weeks thereafter, 
the plenipotentiaries of France, Great Britain, Russia, Aus- 
tria, Sardinia and Turkey, assembled in Paris, and settled on 
the teriiis of a treaty of peace, which was signed on Sunday, 
March 30, 1856. The first point guaranteed the neutrali- 
zation of the Black Sea, all the Russian forts and arsenals 
on which were to be destroyed. By the second Russia gave 
up all pretension to interference with the internal adminis- 
tration of the Turkish government; and the Russian Em- 
peror renounced the traditional policy of his predecessors, 
which looked to the extension of the Russian sway in the 
East. The third point guaranteed the right of vessels of all 
nations to navigate the Danube. The fourth secured to the 
Christian subjects of the Sultan certain immunities and 
privileges. The fifth stipulated that Xieolaieff should be 
dismantled, and made certain regulations concerning the 
Aland Islands, Ismnil, and Bomarsund. 

18. The treaty was sisned with an eagle's quill, elegantly 
mounted with gold and gems, which was then presented to 

41* 



4b6 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the Empress Eugenie, wlio had expressed a desire to preserve 
it as a memorial of the event. A discharge of 101 guns at 
the Invalides proclaimed the tidings of peace to the delighted 
inhabitants of the French capital, who recalled to mind the 
fact, that on that day forty-two years previously the battle of 
Paris was fought, and that on the following day the Russians 
dictated terms of peace in the place where now their ambas- 
sadors came to crave it. 

19. The alliance between France and England had ren- 
dered Louis Napoleon so popular in the latter country that, 
in 1855, himself and the Empress Eugenie paid a visit to 
Queen Victoria in her own dominions, where he was received 
with great enthusiasm. The pleasure of the Emperor was 
somewhat damped shortly after his return home by an 
attempt to assassinate him, which took place on the 28th of 
April, while he was riding near the Barrier de I'Etoile. A 
few months subsequently the British Queen returned the 
visit of her imperial neighbor, when the great centre of 
modern civilization, luxury, art, science, and fashion, ex- 
hausted all her resources in endeavoring to delight the royal 
visitor. On the 14th of March, 1855, the Empress Eugenie 
gave birth to a son ; an event which was hailed throughout 
France with the most extravagant demonstrations of joy. 

20. The general election for members of the Corps Legis- 
latif took place in June, 1857, when but half a dozen depu- 
ties were returned who were opposed to the government. 
Among these was Glen. Cavaignac, whose subsequent prema- 
ture deatli relieved the government of a dangerous opponent 
in the national legislature. In September of the same year, 
a formal interview took place at Stuttgart between the French 
and Russian Emperors, at which the Russian Empress and 
the Queen of Greece were present. The conference was 
held at the palace of the King of Wurtemberg, and con- 
tinued four days. It is understood that one of the points 
settled was a definition of the limits within which Russia 
and Great Britain will in future be permitted to extend their 
Eastern conquests. 

21. In January, 1858, as the carriage containing the Em- 
peror and Empress of France was approaching the Italian 
opera house, three hollow projectiles, aimed at his person, 
burst beneath his feet, without injury to either Napoleon or 
Eugenie, but killing and wounding many persons who sur- 
rounded the imperial carriage. The parties who perpetrated 
f^hi? dastardly outrage were Italian refugees, named Orsini 



THE CRIMEAN WAR, ETC. 487 

and Pierri, who, in order to gratify their malignant feelings 
toward a single individual, did not hesitate to sacrifice the 
lives of a large number of valuable citizens, against whom they 
could have entertained no resentment, as they had never done 
them any injury. These cowardly assassins suffered the 
well-merited penalty of death for their sanguinary but unsuc- 
cessful attempt at regicide. 

22. In his address to the legislative body, delivered on the 
10th of January, 1858, Louis Napoleon thus alludes to the 
attempt on his life : " I cannot close without mentioning that 
criminal attempt which has been recently made. I thank 
Heaven for the visible protection which it has granted to the 
Empress and myself; and I deeply deplore that a plan for 
destroying one life should have ended in the loss of so many. 
Yet this thwarted scheme can teach us some useful lessons. 
The recourse to such desperate means is but a proof of the 
feebleness and impotence of the conspirators. And again, 
there never was an assassination which served the interests 
of the men who armed the murderer. Neither the party 
that struck Caesar, nor that which slew Henry IV., profited 
by their overthrow. God sometimes permits the death of 
the just, but he never allows the triumph of the evil agent. 
Thus, these attempts neither disturb my security in the pre- 
sent, nor my trust in the future. If I live, the Empire lives 
with me; if I fall, the Empire will be strengthened by my 
death ; for the indignation of the people and of the army 
will be a new support for the throne of my son." 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By what means did Louis Napoleon ingratiate himself with 

the people, and prepare their minds for the restoration of 
the Empire ? 

2. State how the restoration was effected, and 4ie popular vote 

in favor of and opposed to it. 
8. What were the first steps taken by Louis Napoleon after hia 
elevation to the throne ? 

4. What Were the causes which led to the war with Russia? 

5. State when and where a Turkish fleet was destroyed by the 

Russians. 

6. How many French and British troops were sent to the Crimea ? 

7. Detail the occurrences in Greece, and their result. 



488 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

8. What action was fought on the 20th of September, 1854, in 

the Crimea? 

9. In what action was the English Light Cavalry Brigade almost 

destroyed? 

10. When was the battle of Inkermann fought, and with what 

result? 

11. Who succeeded Gen. Canrobert in command of the French 

forces in the Crimea? 

12. When, and by the operation of what disease, did the Emperor 

Nicholas die ? 

13. What actions were fought on the 8th and 18th of June, and 

with what result ? 

14. When was the final attack made on the Malakoff and Redan 

by the allies ? 

15. Give some account of the Turkish operations in Asia. 

16. What events succeeded the capture of Sebastopol by the 

allies? 

17. When was the treaty of peace between the belligerent powera 

concluded ? 

18. Describe the pen used in signing the treaty. 

19. What exalted personages in France and England exchanged 

visits during the year 1855? 

20. What interview took place at Stuttgart in September, 1857? 

21. Describe the attempt to assassinate Louis Napoleon, made by 

Pierri and Orsini? 

22. Give that portion of Louis Napoleon's address to the French 

Legislatare, in which he alludes to the attempt on bis life. 



THE ITALIAN WAR. 



489 




Victor Emmanuel, King of Sardinia. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



THE ITALIAN WAR. 

How lias kind heaven adorn'd the happy land, 
Aad scattered blessings with a wasteful hand I 
But what avails her unexhausted stores, 
Her blooming mountains, and her sunny shores, . 
With all the gifts that heaven and earth impart 
The smiles of nature, and the charms of art, 
While proud oppression in her valley reigns, 
And tyranny usurps her happy plains. 

Addison's Italy. 



1. Great offence was given to the liberal party in England 
by the measures taken by the French government to guard 
against further attempts to assassinate the Emperor; and 
Lord Palmerston having been censured for overmuch sub- 
serviency to the dictation of Louis Napoleon in relation to 
these measures, his lordship resigned his position as Prime 
Minister to quell the storm of popular indignation. The 
good understanding between the two nations was not, how- 
ever, materially disturbed ; and Queen Victoria was present 
at the ceremonies consequent upon the opening of the great 



490 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

basin in the harbor of Cherbourg, France. On the 4th of 
August, 1858, the Queen of England and Prince Albert 
were entertained on board the French man-of-war Bretagne 
by the Emperor and Empress; afterward the royal party 
landed, and inspected the fortifications. Her Majesty and 
the Prince Consort departed on the 5th, under a triple 
salute; and the fStes, which were continued until the 8th, 
were closed by the inauguration of the statue of Napoleon. 

2. On the 1st of January, 1859, during the usual recep- 
tion of foreign ministers and other dignitaries at the impe- 
rial palace, the Emperor, in speaking to the Austrian minister 
about the affairs of Italy, used some expressions which were 
construed by all who heard them into a menace of war; and 
it soon became apparent that France was arming on an ex- 
tensive scale. A marriage was negotiated between Prince 
Napoleon, a cousin of the Emperor, and the Princess Clotilda, 
daughter of the king of Sardinia, an avowed antagonist of 
Austria on the question of Italian independence; and the 
complaints of Austria, together with the warlike preparations 
making in that quarter, were indicative of an apprehension 
of coming difl&culties. 

3. Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, espoused the cause 
of the revolted Lombards in the year 1848, and having 
occupied Milan, refused to make peace with Austria, unless 
Venice was rendered independent as well as Lombardy. 
Meanwhile Kadetzky, who had been driven from Milan, re- 
ceived reinforcements from the Tyrol, and other dependencies 
of Austria, with which he attacked and defeated the Sardi- 
nians, and recovered Milan, together with a large part of 
Lombardy. On the expiration of the armistice which fol- 
lowed, Kadetzky entered Sardinia, and, in a pitched battle at 
Novara, defeated the entire army of Charles Albert, who 
then abdicated in favor of his son, Victor Emmanuel, went 
to Portugal, and there died soon after of a broken heart. 
The young king sued for peace, which was granted, on con- 
dition that he should not intermeddle with the affairs of 
Austrian Italy, nor advance beyond a certain point for ten 
years, from 1849 to 1859. The stipulated time having 
elapsed, Victor Emmanuel was not only making active pre- 
parations for war, but had secured the aid of France. 

4. The immediate cause of hostilities seems to have been 
the extensive armaments of Sardinia and France, which 
Russia proposed to stop by an adjustment of the difficulty 
through the medium of a Conference of the great powers of 



THE ITALIAN WAR. 491 

Europe. The British government, with the concurrence of 
the French, presented to Austria four points as bases of 
negotiation, which the latter professed its willingness to 
accept, with certain modifications, but insisted upon the im- 
mediate disarming of Sardinia. This being unanimously 
objected to by the other Powers, Austria suggested, as a 
substitute, a general and immediate disarmament of all the 
Powers. The British cabinet proposed that the principle be 
admitted, and that its execution be regulated by a commis- 
sion, in which Sardinia should be represented; and also that 
the Italian States should be admitted to a participation in the 
Congress of the five Powers. To these propositions France, 
Russia, Prussia and Sardinia acceded, but Austria demurred, 
and insisted that Sardinia should disarm at once; to which 
the other Powers would not consent. Austria then sent to 
Sardinia her ultimatum, dated April 21, which contained a 
peremptory demand for the disbanding of her Italian volun- 
teers, and allowing but three days for a reply, which, if ad- 
verse, would be followed by the immediate commencement 
of hostilities. The King of Sardinia refused to comply, and 
convened the Chambers, who invested him with dictatorial 
powers. Simultaneously with the last demand, Austria des- 
patched 80,000 troops to Italy, in addition to those already 
there; and, on the 26th of April, three divisions of the 
Austrian army, 120,000 strong, crossed the Ticino, and in- 
vaded Sardinia. 

5. A strong feeling in favor of Sardinia existed throughout 
Italy, and early in April, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, 
rather than embark in the war against Austria, to which he 
was urged by the Marquis of Lajatico and the officers of his 
army, left his dominions. When the tidings of the Austrian 
demand upon Sardinia were received in Paris, Count Wa 
lewski presented to the Corps Legislatif a manifest, drawL 
up by order of the Emperor, which, after giving an account 
of the proceedings that had taken place, concluded thus : 
" In presence of this state of things, if Sardinia is menaced ; 
if, as everything leads it to be presumed, her territory is in- 
vaded, France cannot hesitate to respond to the appeal of a 
nation, her ally, to which she is bound by common interests 
and traditional sympathies, regenerated by a recent confra- 
ternity in arms, and by the union contracted between the 
two reigning Houses." 

6. By the rapidity of her movements, Austria evidently 
hoped to annihilate the army of the Sardinians before the 



192 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

arrival of the French troops ; but the latter were pushed 
forward with such dispatch, across the Alps by land, and by 
sea to G-enoa, that, in a few days the allies were fully aa 
strong as the Austrians. The latter, after advancing about 
forty miles into the Sardinian territory, spread themselves 
over the most fertile provinces of Piedmont, and levied ex- 
hausting contributions upon the inhabitants. The reason 
assigned for the failure of the Austrians to advance further, 
was, that sudden rains had caused such inundations as to 
render it impossible for an army to march through the flat, 
marshy country. On the 10th of May, the Emperor Napo- 
leon, confiding the regency to the Empress, set out for Italy, 
to take command of the army in person, and arrived at Genoa 
on the 12th, where he was welcomed with the utmost enthu- 
siasm. His first "order of the day" resembled in its style 
the addresses by which the great Napoleon was wont to excite 
the ardor, and arouse the enthusiasm of his soldiers. 

7. The Emperor devoted his attention to the development 
of plans for the campaign, while the Austrians, after ex- 
hausting the country, retired slowly toward their own fron- 
tiers. The allies were prevented from advancing in force 
by the lack of full supplies, unfavorable weather, and inun- 
dations, so that, beyond unimportant skirmishes of advanced 
parties, no actual engagement took place until May 20, when 
a severe action was fought at Montebello, on the very spot 
where, June 9, 1800, the Austrians were defeated by Marshal 
Lannes. The French loss was reported at 600 to 700 men, 
killed and wounded, among whom was an unusual proportion 
of ofiicers. Gen. Beuret, who led the attacking column, was 
killed. The Austrian loss was estimated to be much greater, 
and 200 prisoners were taken. The fighting on both sides 
was of the most desperate description ; the fire of the Aus- 
trian riflemen was terribly efiective, while the new French 
artillery exceeded all expectations. On the following day an 
action took place between the Austrians and the left wing 
of the allies, under Gen. Cialdini, in which the loss on either 
side was inconsiderable. 

8. Gen. Garibaldi, with a force consisting chiefly of Italian 
volunteers, was sent northward, to carry the war into Lom- 
feardy; and, crossing the frontier on the 24th of May, he 
took possession of Varese, where he was attacked on the 
26th by an Austrian force, which he repulsed. After a 
severe fight on the 27th he entered Como, and the Austriana 
retreated to Camerlctta, where the combat was again renewed, 



THE ITALIAN WAR. 



493 



with tho result of compelling the Austrians again to retreat 
toward Milan. All the steamers on Lake Maggiore fell into 
the hands of the allies. 

9. On the 29th of May the Emperor of Austria left Vienna 
for the scat of war, and arrived at Verona on the 31st. On 
the 29th the Piedmontese army crossed the river Sesia in 
face of the Austrians, who were fortified at Palestro, forced 
their works, and took two pieces of cannon, together with 
many small arms and prisoners. Two days subsequently 
25,000 Austrians attempted to recover Palestro, but were 




Francia Joseph, Emperor of Austria. 



repulsed with great loss. On the 1st of June G-en. Niel 
entered Novara, and, after a slight contest, drove out the 
Austrians. The Emperor of France arrived there at 5 o'clock 
in the evening, and was enthusiastically received by tho 
people. 

10. The great battle of Magenta was fought on the 4th of 
June, and about 100,000 of the allied troops were engaged 
in it. The Austrians lost 20,000 in killed and wounded, 
and 7000 prisoners; while the French loss was but 3000 
killed and wounded. After their retreat from Magenta, the 
Austrian forces were concentrated in the neighborhood of 
Peschiera. Immediately after this battle the Emperor of 
France and the King of Sardinia entered Milan, which had 
been evacuated by the Austrians, and were most enthusias- 
tically received by the inhabitants. Napoleon issued a 
42 



494 HISTORF OF FRANCE. 

proclamation to the Italians, defining his position, and prcv 
mising them national independence; and Victor Emmanuel 
aiso published a proclamation to the people of Lombardy, 
announcing the union of that country with Sardinia. On 
the 8th of June was fought the battle of Melagnano, which 
lasted nine hours, and in which 30,000 Austrians were en- 
gaged. Their loss was 1500 killed and wounded, and 1700 
prisoners. 

11. On the 24th of June the terrible battle of Solferino 
took place, which raged from five o'clock in the morning 
until a late hour in the afternoon, when the Austrians began 
to retreat along their entire line, favored by a fearful storm, 
which lasted more than an hour. When the weather cleared 
up the enemy had disappeared, and in the distance could be 
seen the direction taken by their retreating columns. The 
Emperor of Austria, who was lodging at Cavriana, left the 
field of battle about four o'clock, and withdrew toward Goito. 
During the battle Louis Napoleon, insensible to surrounding 
danger, was to be seen riding from point to point, giving his 
orders with the greatest coolness imaginable. 

12. On the 8th of July an armistice was concluded be- 
tween the belligerents, to continue until the 15th of August ; 
and on the 11th of the same month the Emperor Napoleon 
announced to his army that a treaty of peace had been signed 
between the Emperor of Austria and himself, on the follow- 
ing basis : 1. An Italian Confederation to be formed, under 
the honorary presidency of the Pope. 2. Lombardy ceded 
to France in trust for the King of Sardinia. 3. Venice to 
be retained by Austria, but yet to form an integral part of 
the Italian Confederation. The armistice was the result of 
a letter from Louis Napoleon, to which the Emperor Francis 
Joseph returned a courteous reply. The treaty was con- 
cluded at the time without reference to the other Powers of 
Europe, and created some dissatisfaction, particularly among 
the Sardinians, whose king, Victor Emmanuel, did not hesi- 
tate to express his regret. Count Cavour, the Sardinian 
prime minister, immediately resigned his ofiice. 

13. Immediately after the conclusion of the treaty with 
his late antagonist, the French Emperor departed from the 
seat of war, and, arriving at Turin on the 14th of July, went 
thence to G-enoa, where he embarked on a steamer for Paris. 
On Sunday morning, the 17th of July, he again found him- 
self under the welcome roof of the Palace of St. Cloud, and 
immediately took the necessary steps for the conyention of 



THE ITALIAN WAR. 495 

an European Congress at Zurich, to settle the minutiae of a 
permanent treaty of peace. The reasons which influenced 
the Emperor of France to such a speedy termination of a 
successful war, were explained by him on the evening of 
July 19, to the legislative bodies, which waited upon him, 
and, through their presidents, Count de Morny and M. 
Borocher, presented him with congratulatory addresses. 
The Emperor thanked them cordially for their devotion to 
himself and the interests of the Empire, briefly sketched the 
principal events of the campaign, and thus proceeded : 

14. "Arrived beneath the walls of Verona, the struggle 
was inevitably about to change its nature as well in a military 
as a political aspact. Obliged to attack the enemy in front, 
who was intrenched behind great fortresses, and protected 
on his flank by the neutrality of the surrounding territory, 
and about to begin a long and barren war, I found myself in 
the face of Europe in arms, ready to dispute our successes 
or aggravate our reverses. Nevertheless, the difficulty of the 
enterprise would not have shaken my resolution, if the means 
had not been out of proportion to the results to be expected. 
It was necessary to crush boldly the obstacles opposed, and 
then to accept a conflict on the Rhine as well as on the 
Adige. It was necessary to fortify ourselves openly with the 
concurrence of revolution. It was necessary to go on shed- 
ding precious blood, and at last risk that which a sovereign 
should only stake for the independence of his country. If 
I have stopped, it was neither through weariness nor ex- 
haustion, nor through abandoning the noble cause which I 
desired to serve, but for the interests of France. 

15. " I felt great reluctance to put reins upon the ardor 
of our soldiers, to retrench from my programme the territory 
from the Mincio to the Adriatic, and to see vanish from 
honest hearts noble delusions and patriotic hopes. In order 
to serve the independence of Italy, I made war against the 
mind of Europe, and as soon as the destiny of my country 
might be endangered, I made peace. Our eiforts and our 
Bacrifices, have they been merely losses ? No ; we have a 
tight to be proud of this campaign. We have vanquished 
&n army numerous, brave, and well organized. Piedmont 
has been delivered from invasion ; her frontiers have been 
extended to the Mincio. The idea of an Italian natiooality 
has been admitted by those who combatted it most. All 
the sovereigns of the Peninsula comprehend the want of 
ealutarj reforms. Thus, after having given a new proof of 



496 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the military power of France, the peace concluded will be 
prolific of happy results. The future will every day reveal 
additional cause for the happiness of Italy, the influence of 
France, and the tranquillity of Europe." 



Questions for Examination. 

1. When did the Queen of Great Britain and her consort visit 

Cherbourg? 

2. What was the first intimation given of the approaching Italian 

war? 

3. Give a summary of the remote causes of the Italian war. 

4. State what were the immediate causes of hostilities between 

France, Sardinia, and Austria. 
6. What was the general state of feeling throughout Italy in 
regard to Sardinia? 

6. When did the Emperor Napoleon embark in person for Italy ? 

7. On what celebrated spot was the battle of May 20 fought ? 

8. Describe the movements of the celebrated General Garibaldi. 

9. What great feat was performed by the Piedmontese army on 

the 29th May, 1859? 

10. When were the battles of Magenta and Melegnano fought, 

and with what result ? 

11. When was the great battle of Solferino fought, and how long 

did the action continue ? 

12. How were the hostilities in Italy brought to a close ? 

13. When did the Emperor of France return to his capital? 

14. 15. What were the reasons assigned by th« French Emperor 

for his speedy termination of the war ? 



ANNEXATION OF NEW TERRITORIES. 497 




CHAPTER L. 

PEACE CONCLUDED— ANNEXATION OF NEW 
TERRITORIES. 

Who genially his nature can outpour, 

Takes from the people's mood no irritation ; 

The wider circle he acquires, the more 
Securely works his inspiration, 

1. On the 10th of November, 1859, the definitive treaty 
of peace was concluded at Zurich, and all the essential 
points of the conditions already agreed upon at Villa- 
franca were retained. 

2. But the execution of the treaty was hindered by in- 
surmountable difficulties, since neither the inhabitants of 
the duchies in Central Italy, nor those of the " Legations," 
which had freed themselves during the war from the rule 
of the Pontifical States, were inclined to return to the 
government of their former princes, but desired to be- 
come annexed to Sardinia. Napoleon did not wish to 
vigorously oppose this demand. Although desirous of 
performing the duties assumed by him, he admonished 
the Sardinian government to conscientiously carry out the 

42* 2G 



498 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

conditions agreed upon at Villafranca. But the solution 
of this question was not in the least furthered in this way, 
but the embarrassment rather enhanced. The Emperor 
therefore invited the powers of the treaty of 1815 to meet 
in Congress to adjust this affair. This proposition failed 
on account of the opposition of the Pope, who insisted 
upon the unconditional retrocession of the Legations; he 
also refused to institute the political reforms in the Pon- 
tifical States which had been recommended by Napoleon. 
The French clergy having resolved to stand firm in the 
support of the head of the Church, an irritating disagree- 
ment between the government and the church was the re- 
sult. But the Emperor Avas not inclined to yield, and, 
after having written a letter to the Pope, on the 31st of 
December, 1859, wherein he once more urgently set forth 
his views, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the 3d of 
January, 1860, announced the abandonment, for the 
present, of the projected Congress. The Minister, Count 
Walewsky, immediately thereafter resigned and left the 
cabinet, and was succeeded by M. Thouvenel, who rather 
supported the policy of Cavour instead of that of Villa- 
franca and Zurich, which had been abandoned after the 
failure of the proposed Congress. 

3. The prize, however, demanded by France, for per- 
mitting the annexation of those provinces to Sardinia, 
was the ceding of Nice and Savoy to France. By a 
general election, held on the 15th and 22d of April, 1860, 
the population of those territories declared themselves, 
by a large majority, in favor of annexation to France. 

4. The government of Switzerland, however, had pre- 
viously protested against the annexation of Chablais and 
Faucigny, because this portion of Savoy, by the treaty 
of 1815, was involved in the neutrality of Switzerland. 
At first the Emperor appeared as if he Avas not un- 
favorable to the cession of these districts to Switzerland, 
but afterward withdrew his promise, under the plea that 
the population of these districts had, by their vote, unan- 
imously resolved to become annexed to France. The 
protest of the Swiss Confederation proved entirely in- 
effectual, and was unheeded. These proceedings gave 
rise to much uneasy feeling in all the other States of 
Europe, especially in Germany, where it was feared that 
the doctrine of the " natural boundaries " thus made valid 
in Switzerland might be also applied to the Rhine. In 



ANNEXATION OF NEW TERRITORIES. 499 

order to quiet this mistrust, the Emperor, on the 15th of 
June, 1860, paid a visit to the Prince Regent of Prussia, 
who was at that time sojourning at Baden-Baden, where 
also other monarehs of the German States had assembled. 

5. But the political commotion in Italy continued ; 
France not taking a decided stand against the upheaval, 
although the French ambassador had been recalled from 
Turin, in consequence of the occupation of the Papal 
States by Sardinian troops. Russia, joined by Austria and 
Prussia, requested the Emperor to define his position with 
regard to the Italian question, in order to dispel all mis- 
trust. Napoleon replied that he would not support Pied- 
mont in case of an attack made upon Venetia, and he 
would neither work for the re-establishment of the former 
conditiim of affairs in Italy, nor would he permit the 
re-establishment of the exiled Italian princes. The war 
Avith China, meantime, having drawn to a close, it was 
lielieved the Emperor would now earnestly carry out his 
peace programme. A great deal was indeed attempted 
for the amelioration of the interior conditions of France 
during this time. Of especial importance was the com- 
mercial treaty concluded with England, the tariff being 
changed upon the basis of free trade. 

6. By a decree dated November 24th, 1860, the Cham- 
ber had reconceded to them the important privilege of 
making reply to the speech of the crown. Thus the peo- 
ple had reobtained the possibility of giving expre&sion to 
their political opinion. As a consequence of this acces- 
sion, the Emperor, on the 14th of November, 1861, had 
to grant further concessions to the constantly increasing 
demands for liberal government, by renouncing his con- 
sntutional right, without assent of the Chamber, to allow 
extraordinary credits. 

7. On the 15th of June, France had formally acknowl- 
edged the kingdom of Italy, and thus Napoleon made 
an end to all further trials to be forced to intervene for 
the interest of the reaction. 

8. But just as decided as Napoleon had been to oppose 
such demands, he was equally firm in his attitude of re- 
pelling the endeavors of Italy for the possession of Rome. 
The French garrison remained in Rome, and the Empe- 
ror declared most emphatically that he would uphold the 
Pope's temporal reign and power under all circumstances. 

9. While thus the prospect of maintaining the peace in 



500 HISTORY OP FRANCE. 

Europe became more apparent, affairs in America became 
threatening, and had a tendency to entangle France with 
troubles of a serious nature. Concerning the civil war 
which at that time was waged in the United States of 
America, France had indeed declared she would remain 
entirely neutral ; but the obvious sympathy shown to the 
cause of the Confederates had caused certain dijDlomatic 
disagreements between the government of France and 
that of the United States, which was partly created by 
the interest of the French cotton industry. At one 
juncture Napoleon proposed to England to unite with 
France to break the blockade of the Southern ports by 
the American fleet. 

10. Full of ominous forebodings was the turn of affairs 
which were wrought in Mexico at this juncture. It was 
the intention of the Emperor to introduce the monarchical 
form of government into Mexico, availing himself of the 
opportunity presented by the existence of the civil war 
in America to effectually, as he thought, intervene in 
Mexico. While the civil contest was at its height in 
America, France, England, and Spain became involved 
in a quarrel with Mexico concerning the non-payment of 
certain claims due citizens of those countries by the Mex- 
ican republic. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. Where was the definitive treaty of peace between Italy and 

Austria concluded? 

2. What were the causes that hindered the proper execution of 

this treaty ? 

3. Name the provinces which were annexed to France in conse- 

quence of the Italian war. 

4. Why did the Swiss Confederation oppose the annexation of 

certain territories to France? 

5. What were the consequences of the occupation of the Papal 

States by Sardinian troops ? 

6. What important privileges were reconceded to the legisla- 

tive body by Napoleon III. ? 

7. What were the reasons for acknowledging the kingdom of 

Italy by the French government? 

8. By what means did Napoleon repel the demands of Italy for 

the possession of Rome ? 

9. What caused the diplomatic disagreements between France 

and the United States of America in 1861 ? 
10. Why did Napoleon intervene in the political affairs of Mex- 
ico? 



ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN AND ENGLAND. 501 




City aud Port of Vera Cruz. (After a storm.) 



CHAPTER LI. 

ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN AND ENGLAND AND THE WAR 
IN MEXICO— OCCUPATION OF VERA CRUZ. 

Mighty was the hope that led me; 

Faith, though dim, yet bade me cheer; 
Tow'rd the setting sun it sped me, 

Crying, On ! the path is clear. 

1. At the incitation of Spain, a convention was con- 
cluded on the 31st of October, 1861, by that country, 
France, and England, for the purpose of protecting the 
interests of their respective citizens in Mexico. 

2. By the terms of this convention it was, hoAvever, 
expressly stated that the contracting powers neither in- 
tended the acquirement of territory nor to injure the 



502 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

integrity of self-government of the Mexican people. 3. 
But quite contradictory to this agreement "was the note of 
November 11th, 1861, by M. Thouvenel to the French 
ambassador in Mexico, wherein it was pointed out that 
France was desirous of a change in the form of govern- 
ment in Mexico. 4. After the arrival of the French, 
Spanish, and English expedition at Vera Cruz, in Decem- 
ber, 1861, Mexico prepared for war against this invasion. 
5. The alleged cause for this invasion was an act of the 
Mexican Congress suspending for two years the payment 
of certain foreign obligations of debt. That act, how- 
ever, was promptly repealed ; but the hostile forces re- 
mained, on the ground that Mexico provided no security 
for the fulfilment of her obligations. The troops of the 
expedition occupied the port of Vera Cruz without resist- 
ance, that place having been evacuated by the Mexican 
forces, according to a plan of defence previously adopted. 
While there and on the road leading to the city of Mexico, 
the troops of the expedition suffered greatly from the ex- 
cessive heat of the climate, and then negotiations were 
opened, ostensibly with a view to a settlement of the 
differences between the allied nations and Mexico, Avith- 
out further hostilities. Meanwhile it was asked by the 
allies, and consented to by Mexico, that the invading army 
should occupy more salubrious quarters in Cordova, Ori- 
zaba, and Tehuacan, with the understanding that, if hos- 
tilities should be renewed, the troops of the expedition 
should first retire to the positions occupied before the 
agreement. 

6. Just previous to the opening of negotiations for a 
settlement, the representatives of the three allied nations 
had a meeting, for the purpose of agreeing upon the claims 
they were to present to the consideration of the Mexican 
government. It was at this meeting that the French 
^linister disclosed the enormous Jecker claim. The 
English Minister and General Prim, the Spanish com- 
mander, were surprised, and this, with other disclosures 
made to them, leading to the belief that the French Em- 
peror intended to interfere in the domestic concerns of 
Mexico, caused them, on the 9th of April, 1862, to declare 
the Convention of London transgressed, and to withdraw 
the troops of their governments from the expedition. 
After that time the invasion was continued by the 
French alone. When hostilities were renewed, the French 



ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN AND ENGLAND. 



)03 



did not retire to their original positions, according to their 
agreement with the Mexican authorities, but retained 
possession of Orizaba. The prominent events subsequent 
to the period in question were at first of a nature not at 
all encouraging to the extraordinary efforts made by the 
French arms. They made but slow progress. The peo- 




ple deeming the honor of France engaged in this broil, 
of course, supported the policy of the government, but 
a steadily growing discontent soon manifested itself, which 
found its expression in the election of a proportionately 
larger number of opposition candidates to the legislative 
body, and there was much acrimony manifested respecting 



504 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



the policy of the government, Avhich was attacked, on the 
occasion of debating the address in reply to the opening 
address of the Emperor in the Corjis Legislatif. 

7. On the 22d of September, 1862, General Forey 
issued a proclamation, promising the Mexicans a new 
government after the defeat of the Constitutional Gov- 
ernment. On the 24th of February, 1863, the French 




troops marched from Orizaba toward Puebla, and on the 
18th of March commenced the siege of the latter place. 

8. After many repulses, on the 18th of May the city 
of Puebla was surrendered to the French. 

9. Pi-esident Juarez, with the troops under his com- 
mand, having evacuated the city of Mexico on the 31st 
of May, 1863, Genei-al Bazaine, on the 5th of June, 



ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN AND ENGLAND. 505 

with the advance of the French army, reached the city 
of Mexico, and on the 10th of that month General Forey, 
with the main body of the French, entered the city. 

10. On the 16th of June, 1863, General Forey, by a 
decree, established a "Junta " of 35 members, whose first 
duty was to choose three Mexicans to exercise the Ex- 
ecutive power provisionally ; and, second, to choose 215 
other citizens, who, with themselves, Avere to compose an 
Assembly of " Notables," charged with the duty of 
adopting the future form of government. 

11. On the 10th of July, 1863, the " Notables" declared 
that the Mexican nation adopts as its form of government 
hereditary limited monarchy, with a Catholic prince for 
sovereign, to bear the title of emperor, and the crown to 
be offered, in the first place, to the Archduke Maximilian 
of Austria. 

12. The French forces continued to occupy Vera Cruz, 
the city of Mexico, and many places in the interior. 

13. Despite all these victories to the French arms in 
Mexico, the members of the opposition in the Corps 
Legislatif, and their adherents, continued to censure the 
government, and viewed the successful operations in 
Mexico with suspicious eyes, fearing them to be of a 
transitory nature. During the month of April, 1865, the 
civil war in the United States having ceased, a friendly 
arrangement was made, at the urgent representation of 
the government of the United States of America, between 
the latter government and the Emperor of the French, 
for the withdrawal from Mexico of the French expedition- 
ary forces. The new attitude assumed by France towards 
Mexico gave occasion to more exciting debates in the 
Chambers. M. Jules Favre and M. Thiers, the leaders 
of the opposition, took occasion, while the budget was 
under discussion, to arraign the government for its dis- 
astrous financiering in Mexico. But the government 
justified itself before the country, where it was believed, 
that whatever may happen after having obtained full 
satisfaction through arms, that all was done for Mexico 
that it was possible to do, and that could be reconciled 
with the interest and honor of France. 

14. The Emperor's policy in matters of international 
commerce continued to be that of free-trade. To the 
treaties of commerce concluded with England in 1860, 
and those with Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland, there 

43 



506 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

was in 1862 added that with Prussia, which caused serious 
disturbances between that country and Austria, as well 
as other German States. 

15. In June, 1866, the gradual steps which had now 
developed themselves towards one of the most eventful 
struggles in modern history, had come to a crisis. An 
alliance had been formed between Italy and Prussia 
against Austria, vvhich was disastrous to the latter power. 
Notwithstanding all efforts made by the Emperor Napo- 
leon to avert war, hostilities ensued on the 18th of June, 

1866. 16. On the 3d of July, the Austrian army suffered 
a terrible defeat at Sadowa. Immediately thereafter the 
Emperor of Austria complied with the idea proposed by 
the Emperor Napoleon, and ceded Venetia to the latter, 
accepting his mediation to bring about peace between the 
belligerents. Prince Jerome Napoleon was now sent to 
Italy, charged by the Emperor to use his influence with 
that government to promote the interests of France. 
France had acquired great credit by her mediation, and 
the Emperor accepted, in a generous and disinterested 
manner, with a hojDB of a really just and impartial paci- 
fication, the mission given to him by Austria. 17. Na- 
poleon, on the 29th of July, declared that Venetia was 
placed at the disposition of the King of Italy, affirming 
and recognizing the reunion of the Lombardo-Venetian 
kingdom with the kingdom of Italy. 

18. The government of France and that of Prussia 
became involved in a dispute about Luxemburg, which 
the former purchased of the King of Holland ; but the 
Prussians occupied a strong fortress in that province, 
which they refused to relinquish. It was generally be- 
lieved that war was imminent; but the difficulty was 
settled by a European Convention, which met in London, 
in May, 1867, and decided that neither France nor Prus- 
sia should retain possession of Luxemburg, and insuring 
the King of Holland, Grand Duke of Luxemburg, an 
entire independence. 

M. Thiers, and other prominent opponents of the gov- 
ernment, continued to assail the Ministry in the Corps 
Legislatif. M. Thiers, in a remarkable speech in March, 

1867, declared that the victory of Sadowa was the most 
dreadful blow given to the influence of France ; that its 
greatness was incompatible with the existence of other 
great States on its frontiers, and that now France m^st 



ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN AND ENGLAND. 507 

arm herself to defend the lesser German power. Jules 
Favre, too, continued to attack the foreign policy of 
the government. And yet these two orators, Avho re- 
proached the government, maintained that they had 
constantly wished for peace. The country was made to 
believe that the day of Sadowa was for it a second 
Waterloo. The tardy policy of France, with regard 
to the political future of that country, was also the sub- 
ject of severe blame by M. Provost Paradol. 

19. While these affairs were going on, meantime, it was 
fixed by the French government that the military occu- 
pation of Mexico by France should terminate at the close 
of the year 1867 ; but hardly had the French troops 
withdrawn, when the startling news of the capture of the 
Emperor Maximilian by the forces of the Mexican 
Nationals was announced. Queretaro had fallen on the 
15th of May. The earnest exertions of France to have 
Maximilian spared by his captors, united with the urgent 
remonstrances of the United States government, were 
of no avail. 20. That unfortunate prince was tried by 
court-martial and shot at the city of Queretaro on the 
19th of July, 1867. 

21. The great Universal Exposition which was held 
in Paris, was opened by the Emperor in person on the 1st 
of April, 1867. Visitors were constantly arriving from 
all quarters of the globe, and Napoleon, in his opening 
address, expressed the hope that France was now enter- 
ing upon a new era of peace and civilization, and that 
the Universal Exposition would contribute to calm all 
passions and unite all interests. 

On the 6 th of June, the Emperor Alexander II., who 
had arrived in Paris to visit the Exposition, was shot at 
by Beregowski, a Pole, in the. Bois de Boulogne, while 
returning from a review of tooops given in his honor. 

22. During the latter part of October, 1867, Garibaldi, 
an Italian leader of the Liberals, made an armed demon- 
stration against Eome. The movement attained dimen- 
sions so imposing that not only the French, but the Ital- 
ian, government despatched an armed force to resist and 
defeat the enterprise. The united forces of the Papal and 
French troops achieved a complete victory over Garibaldi, 
who, on the 3d of November, was defeated and repulsed at 
Mentana. 23. The withdrawal of the Italian army from 
the Pontifical States gave complete security for the future 
observance of the convention of September 15th, 1867. 



508 HISTORY OF FEANCE. 

By the treaty of peace concluded at Prague between 
Prussia and Austria, it was stipulated that the reunion 
of the Lombardo- Venetian kingdom to the kingdom of 
Italy should be guaranteed by concurrence of the Emperor 
of the French, with no other condition than the assump- 
tion by Italy of a proportionate part of the Austrian 
debt, conformable to the precedent established in the 
treaty of Zurich when Lombardy was ceded in 1859. 

24. Exciting debates took place in the Corps Legislatif 
during the close of the year 1869, and a republican society 
was discovered to exist among the soldiers of the Paris 
garrison, many of whom were arrested. On the 28th of 
December the Cabinet resigned, and a new Ministry was 
formed at the beginning of the year 1870, with M. Emile 
Olivier as Prime Minister. 

The Anglo-French commercial treaty expired February 
4th ; this gave rise to a stormy debate in the Corps Legis- 
latif, but on the 27th of the same month the treaty was 
renewed, despite the efforts of the opposition for its re- 
nunciation. 

25. The Emperor's Prime Minister, while proceeding 
against the irreconcilable adversaries of the Empire with 
marked severity, continued to carry out the liberal policy 
upon which the government had recently entered to such 
an extent that he had now to meet the opposition of the 
extreme conservatives. The Emperor urged the adoption 
of all reforms proposed by M. Olivier, proclaiming " that 
he desired to restore constitutional government to France, 
in order to put an end to that immoderate desire for 
change which possessed certain spirits, Avho disturb the 
public mind by their belief in the instability of the 
present regime." 

Thus the Imperial government, by a series of gradual 
concessions, became a purely constitutional government, 
assuredly the most liberal that had ever existed in France. 
Deputies were elected by universal suffrage; a Corps 
Legislatif with full liberty of debate, all the rights of 
control of interpellation and of amendment ; the Senate 
transformed into a chamber of peers, responsible minis- 
ters, liberty of the press, and the right of public meet- 
ings. 

26. The triumph of Prussia over Austria warned 
France that the success of her rival might be close at 
hand, but the Imperial government did not seem to dis- 
courage the growing power of her neighbor, while the 



ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN AND ENGLAND. 509 

nation rang with complaints that the prestige of France 
was passing away. To the French mind there was 
nothing but danger to France in the formation of Prus- 
sia's new power ; and it became the duty of every patri- 
otic Frenchman to avert the danger from his country. 
The result of a train of causes at length brought events 
to a crisis. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. What alliance was formed by France for the protection of 

her citizens in Mexico ? 

2. What were the terms of the Convention between the allied 

nations respecting affairs in Mexico ? 

3. Why was Napoleon desirous of a change of government in 

Mexico ? 

4. When did the expeditionary troops land in Vera Cruz ? 
6. What was the alleged cause for this invasion ? 

6. What were the reasons of England's and Spain's withdrawal 

from the expedition ? 

7. What was the purport of General Forey's proclamation, 

issued on the 22d of September, 1862? 

8. When was the city of Puebla surrendered to the French ? 

9. When did Marshal Bazaine enter the city of Mexico ? 

10. What was the object of General Forey's decree for the estab- 

lishment of a Junta? 

11. What was the result ofihe meeting of Mexican "Notables " 

on the 10th of July, 1863? 

12. To whom was the Imperial crown of Mexico offered ? 

13. What occasioned the withdrawal of the French troops from 

Mexico ? 

14. What was the policy of the Emperor of the French in mat- 

ters of international commerce ? 

15. What were the consequences to France caused by the battle 

of Sadowa? 

16. By whom was the kingdom of Venetia ceded to France ? 

17. To whom did Napoleon retrocede Venetia ? 

18. What was the result of the Convention of the European pow- 

ers at London in May, 1866 ? 

19. What was the result of the capture of the fortress of Quere- 

taro (Mexico) ? 

20. On what date was the Emperor of Mexico executed ? 

21. Give some of the incidents which transpired during the 

" Universal Exposition " held at Paris in 1867. 

22. What were the reasons for the despatch of troops to Rome in 

October, 1867? 

23. What was the result of the battle of Montana ? 

24. What was the policy of the Emperor towards France after 

M. Olivier had formed a new Cabinet? 

25. What were the concessions made by Napoleon in 1870 ? 

26. What danger did France seek to avert in the spring of 1870? 

43* 



510 



HISTORY OP FRANCE. 




CHAPTEE LII. 
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. 

And do I ask, wherefore my heart. 

Falters, oppressed with unknown needs? 
Why some inexplicable smart 

All movements of my life impedes ? 

Faust. 

Thus wars now the nephew of his uncle renowned, 
Thus fights he to conquer the old Rhenish ground. 
So thunder his cannons, his bayonets shine — 
His soldiers are shouting : " To the Rhine, to the Rhine ! " 

Ego. 



1. M. Olivier, the Prime Minister, on the 28th of 
March, 1870, read to the Senate a statement of the mo- 
tives for a new Senatus Consultum, which was essentially 
a new constitution for France, through which the Em- 
peror desired to establish his dynasty, and to effect liberal 
reforms. The reforms thus proposed were to be submit- 
ted to the vote of the people on the 8th of May, in the 
form of a plehiscitum. On the 23d of April the Imperial 
decree for this purpose Avas issued, couched in the follow- 
ing language : " The people approve of the liberal reforms, 
which have been carried out since 1860, by the Emperor, 
with the aid of the great body politic, and they accept 
the Senatus Considtum." In his proclamation, the Em- 



THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAJf WAR. 511 

peror pronounced the result of this election to be the 
decision of the French people between order and anarchy 
— between a stable government and revolution. 




Frederick William, Emperor of Germany. 

2. The vote resulted in a decisive victory for the Em- 
peror. The vote stood : Yeas, 7,336,434 ; Nays, 1,560,709. 

3. B:xt even this result, however favorable to Napoleon 
III., did not discourage the strategies of the opposition. 
The remembrance of Sadowa and the reproach respecting 



512 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

the weak policy towards Germany, were added to the 
many other attacks which the opposition had constantly 
made against the government. The demands for the 
boundaries of the Rhine had never ceased since 1866. 

4. While the opposition was in this frame of mind, it 
was announced, on the 6th of July, that Prince Leopold, 
of Hohenzollern, had formally accepted the Spanish 
crown. This startled like a thunderbolt the French 
people. Napoleon was compelled to accede to the general 
pressure brought to bear by the popular will. On the 
15th the French government, sustained by the Corps 
Legislatif, declared war against Prussia. This declara- 
tion asserts that the Emperor of the French was obliged 
to consider the proposal to elevate a Prussian prince to 
the throne of Spain as an attack on the security of 
France ; that he desired that Prussia should disavow the 
scheme, which Prussia refused to do, reserving her right 
to be governed by circumstances ; and that the Emperor 
was forced to consider this determination as equally men- 
acing to France and the European equilibrium. The 
French government, therefore, is taking steps for the de- 
fence of its honor and injured interests, and, having adopt- 
ed all measures which the circumstances render neces- 
sary, considers itself at war with Prussia. This formal 
declaration was sent by the French government to Berlin 
on the 17th of July, and on the 19th French troops were 
sent to the frontier. 

5. The Emperor, on the 23d, issued a proclamation to 
the people, declaring that " there are certain moments in 
the life of peoples when the national honorj fervently ex- 
cited, imposes itself with irresistible force, dominates all 
interests, and alone takes in hand the direction of the 
destinies of the country. One of those hours has now ar- 
rived for France." On the 28th the Emperor left St. Cloud 
for the field, taking with him the Prince Imperial, and 
leaving the Empress as Regent of France during his ab- 
sence. At that date the Prussian army was concentrating 
between Treves and Merzig, on the river Saar. The 
other European powers maintained a position of neutral- 
ity ; England, however, insisted from the beginning that 
the territory of Belgium must not be invaded. 

6. On his arrival at Metz, the Emperor assumed the 
position of commander-in-chief of the French army ; he 
stationed his forces in such a manner as to leave no doubt 



THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. 



513 



that his plan of campaign evidently contemplated an ad- 
vance across the Rhine. In his address to his soldiers, 
Napoleon said : " The war which now commences will be 
long and severe, for its theatre will be places hedged with 




General Von Moltke. 

obstacles and thick with fortresses ; but nothing is beyond 
the persevering efforts of the soldiers of Africa, Italy, 
and Mexico. You will prove once more what the French 
army is able to accomplish, animated by a sentiment of 
2H 



514 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

duty, maintained by discipline, influenced by a love of 
country. Whatever road we may take across our fron- 
tiers, we will find upon it glorious traces of our fathers, 
and we will show ourselves worthy of them." 

7. The Prussians were meanwhile concentrating their 
forces on the east of the Ehine, and it soon became evi- 
dent that they had it in their power to bring into the 
field immediately a much larger army than the French. 
The South German States promptly declared their adher- 
ence to the Prussian cause. The poj)ularwar enthusiasm 
in Germany was most intense. After the declaration of 
war, the King of Prussia left Ems for Berlin, and on 
July 31st, with General Moltke and Count von Bismarck, 
his Prime Minister, he set out for Mayence, the Prussian 
headquarters, where he arrived on the od of August. 
The Prussian forces were then concentrated in the triangle 
formed by the Rhine, the Moselle, and the Saar rivers. 

8. The French army assumed the offensive. It crossed 
the frontier August 2d, and captured Saarbruck, a posi- 
tion of little importance, and held by a small Prussian 
force. This was on the French left. 9. The next day 
the Prussians, under the Crown Prince, Frederick Wil- 
liam, attacked the French centre at Weissenburg, which 
■was held by General Douay's division of McMahon's 
corps. The position was carried, 800 French prisoners 
were taken, and General Abel Douay was killed. From 
that action the French were put on the defensive. The 
Crown Prince again attacked McMahon at Worth, on the 
6th, and with marked success, capturing two eagles, six mi- 
trailleuses, thirty cannon, and 4000 prisoners. The same 
day the French left, under General Frossard, was attacked, 
and compelled to retire. This was the battle at Forbach. 
McMahon, on the right, had for a time been cut ofi" from 
the main army. The French centre remained firm at 
Metz, where were three corps that had not been under 
fire. 

10. On the receipt of the Emperor's message, acknowl- 
edging a defeat, there was great consternation in Paris, 
and that city was declared in a state of siege. The 
Empress issued a proclamation appealing to the patriot- 
ism of the people. McMahon, after his defeat, fell back 
on Saverne, having reinforced the garrison at Stras- 
bourg, which by his retreat had been left uncovered. On 
the 8th of August the Prussians menaced Metz and oc- 



THE FEANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. 



515 



cupied St. Avoid ; and McMahon's retreat was continued 
to Nancy, while the Emjjeror went to Chalons. The 
Prussians had thus compelled the French army to swing 
back its entire centre and right around Metz into the in- 
terior of* France. 




The Crown Prince, Frederick William. 



11. On the 9th of August the Corps Legislatif assem- 
bled, and by a large majority carried on the order 
against the existing ministry, and on the following day 



516 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

(10th) a measure was carried conscripting all unmarried 
men from the age of twenty-five to thirty-five. The 
Olivier Cabinet having resigned, Comte de Palikao Avas 
ordered to form a new Ministry. Forced currency for 
notes of the Bank of France were authorized. 

12. After McMahon's and Frossard's defeat, Marshal 
Bazaine was made commander-in-chief of the French 
army. The revulsion in Paris had given power to the 
Orleanist faction, which caused General Trochu soon to 
be created a Major-General of the army, taking the place 
of Lebceuf. 

13. On the 10th, Strasbourg was invested by the Prus- 
sians, and the railways leading thence were occupied by 
them. They also advanced on this same day within ten 
miles of Metz. On the 14th the Prussians occupied Nancy, 
which had been evacuated by the French the day before. 
The united armies of Prince Frederick Charles and Gen- 
eral Steinmetz — the right and centre of the Prussian 
army — had their headquarters at Henry, on a direct 
line with Saarbruck, and within twenty miles of Metz. 
On the 14th the battle of Courcelles was fought. The 
French commenced to cross the left bank of the Moselle, 
where an obstinate battle ensued, both sides claiming the 
victory of the indecisive fight. The Emperor had left 
Metz with the Prince Imperial for Verdun and McMahon 
was at Toul. 

14. The French government, on the 20th, had asked 
for a loan of one hundred million of francs. The pa- 
triotism of the nation was great. The books were opened 
on the 23d, and before night on that day 680,000,000 
francs were subscribed. The French declared that 
peace is impossible as long as a Prussian soldier treads 
French soil. 

15. On the 16th of August the besieged garrison of 
Strasbourg made a futile sortie, and w^ere defeated at 
Vionville. On the 18th the memorable battle of Grave- 
lotte was fought, and on the following day the bombard- 
ment of Strasbourg, from near Kehl, commenced, and 
communication between Metz and Chalons became very 
difficult. The Emperor and the Prince Imperial are at 
Chalons, and McMahon, on the 22d, having broken up 
the encampment at Chalons, was prepared to oppose an 
army of 170,000 against any force moving upon Paris. 

Severely contested battles followed each other day 



THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. 517 

after day from the 14th to the 21st. By the 23d Metz 
was completely isolated, the Prussians having cut the 
communications between Thionville, Montmedy, and 
Metz, and kept Bazaine shut up with his whole army in 
Metz. The attempt of Bazaine to accomplish the reopen- 
ing of communication with McMahon led to the battle 
of Rezonville, which lasted nine hours, and, after great 
loss on both sides, resulted in Bazaine's retreat upon 
Metz. By the 24th of August the Crown Prince, with 
the left wing of the German army, had advanced beyond 
Chalons. The next day King William's headquarters 
had been transferred to Bar-le-Duc, to reinibrce the 
Crown Prince in his march on Paris. The fortresses of 
Toul and Phalsbourg still held out against the Prussian 
forces in the west ; so likewise did Strasbourg on the 
Rhine, though the right side of the citadel and the 
arsenal had been destroyed. 

16. McMahon's attempt to communicate with Bazaine 
resulted in the crowning disaster of the campaign. He 
left Rheims on the 22d, and on the 29th turned up at 
Vaux, near the Belgian frontier, and on the right bank 
of the Meuse, with an army of 100,000 men. De Failly's 
corps at the same time took a position between Beaumont 
and Storre, on the left bank of that river. Both these 
armies were attacked the next day by the Prussians, the 
force marching on Paris having suddenly turned north- 
ward to baffle McMahon's efforts to join Bazaine. A 
portion of the French was routed on the 30th of August, 
near Carignan and Mouzon, and the Prussians entered 
Carignan, On the following day, August 31st, the battle 
was renewed on the road from Montmedy to Sedan. The 
result of this action was a defeat of the French, with a 
loss of 7000 prisoners, 20 guns, and 11 mitrailleitses. 
McMahon's headquarters were at Sedan. Two impor- 
tant battles took place on the 1st of September — that of 
St. Barbe, near Metz, and that of Sedan. In the former, 
Marshal Bazaine, after an action lasting all day and 
through the night, was defeated. 

17. The battle of Sedan began with the dawn of Sep- 
tember 1st. Two Prussian corps were in position west of 
Sedan to cut off the possible retreat of the French to Me- 
zieres. On all sides, indeed, were posted various corps of 
the Prussian army. De Failly held the French right and 
McMahon the left. The battle began on the Prussian 

U 



518 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

left, where the Bavarians were j)osted. At 8 A.M. a 
hot artillery action began at all points. The villages of 
Illy and Floing were taken, and the fiery circle drew 
gradually closer around Sedan. It was a grand sight 
from the position on a commanding height behind the 
great battery, beyond St. Tore5\ The desperate resist- 
ance of the brave French soldiers began to slacken by 
degrees. Their cavalry endeavored to attack several 
battalions of the Prussian Fifth Corps, but the latter 
resisted gallantly. The cavalry galloped through the 
interval between the battalions, and then returned over 
the same ground. This was repeated three times, so that 
the field was covered with corpses and horses. The town 
of Sedan was bombarded with the heavy battery of the 
Prussians, and twenty minutes later the town was burn- 
ing in several places, which, with the numerous burning 
villages in sight, produced a terrible impression. The 
King of Prussia, seeing the hopeless condition of the 
French, ordered the firing to cease, and sent Lieutenant- 
Colonel von Bronsart, of the staff", with a flag of truce, to de- 
mand the capitulation of the a.rmj and the fortress. Mar- 
shal McMahon had been Avounded, and his command had 
devolved upon General Wimpffen. In reply to King Wil- 
liam's demand, the Emperor personally capitulated at 
5.15 P. M. His letter to the King opened with these 
words : "As I cannot die at the head of my army, I lay 
my sword at the feet of your majesty." 

The capitulation included General MacMahon, a mar- 
shal of France, several general officers, 4000 officers in all, 
83,000 men, 400 field-guns, 70 mitrailleuses, 150 siege-guns, 
10,000 horses, with a large quantity of war material. 

18. On the 3d of September, King William assigned 
Wilhelmshohe as the future residence of the captured 
Emperor. Wilhelmshohe was formerly the summer 
residence of the Electors of Hesse-Cassel. It is a castle 
romantically situated, and about five miles distant from 
the capital city of Hessia. 

19. The receipt of the news that the Emperor and 
Marshal MacMahon had capitulated at Sedan was re- 
ceived at Paris on the morning of September 3d. The 
nation moui*ned. The grief felt all over France was too 
deep for utterance. A wail of despair went up from the 
populace. A terrible foreboding that France was in 
mighty danger issued forth from everj'^ mouth. 



THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. 519 

General Ducrot, who refused to sign his parole, escaped 
from Sedan on the 8d of September. Napoleon III. was 
now a hapless prisoner, without throne, without sword, 
broken-hearted, because so few were his friends now in 
this hour of overwhelming disaster. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What were the motives of the new Senatus Consul/urn f 

2. What was the result of the vote on the " Plebiscitum " ? 

3. What were the reproaches made by the opponents of the 

government in May, 1870? 

4. What were the alleged reasons for the declaration of war 

against Prussia ? 

5. On what date did the Emperor leave Paris for the field? 

6. What was the contents of the address to the army issued by 

the Emperor? 

7. What strengthened Prussia's power before entering the 

field ? 

8. At what place did France assume the offensive ? 

9. Where was the first battle fought? 

10. On receipt of the Emperor's message acknowledging a 

defeat, what took place at Paris? 

11. What was the result of the meeting of the Corps Legislatif 

on August 9th ? 

12. Who was made Commander-in-chief of the French army 

after McMahon's defeat? 

13. When did the investment of Strasbourg by German troops 

take place ? 

14. How did the French people respond to the call for a loan? 

15. Why and when did Marshal McMahon break up the Camp 

of Chalons ? 

16. Describe the causes that led to the battle of Sedan. 

17. What was the result of the battle of Sedan? 

18. What became of the Emperor Napoleon after the battle of 

Sedan ? 

19. How was the news of the disastrous battles received at 

Paris ? 



520 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 




CHAPTER LIII. 

DETHRONEMENT OF NAPOLEON.— ESTABLISHMENT OF 
THE REPUBLIC. 

Bliss grows apace, and then its course is jangled ; 
You're ravished quite, then comes a touch of woe, 
And there 's a neat romance, completed ere you know! 
Let us then such a drama give 1 

1. The news of the defeat at Sedan was immediately 
announced in Paris by a proclamation of the Cabinet 
ministers. A great popular commotion was apparent on 
Saturday, the 3d of September, 1870. Count Palikao 
invoked the earnest aid of the French people, and de- 
clared Paris in a complete state of defence. The next 
day, September 4th, in the Chamber of Deputies, on mo- 
tion of Jules Favre, the Emperor and his dynasty Avere 
declared to have lost and forfeited all constitutional rights 
and privileges. 

2. After the Empress had fled to England, the Repub- 
lic was proclaimed, and a new ministry announced, as 
follows: Leon Gambetta, Minister of the Interior ; Jules 



DETHRONEMENT OF NAPOLEON. 521 

Favres, Minister of Foreign AiFairs ; Ernest Picard, Min- 
ister of Finance; Jules Simon, Minister of Public 
Instruction ; Isaac Cremieux, Minister of Justice ; Gen- 
eral Trochu, Minister of War, and President of the 
Council; Pierre Dorian, Superintendent of Public 
Works ; Joseph Magnin, Minister of Commerce ; Martin 
Fourichon, Minister of Marine. This revolution in the 
government met the acclamations of the populace. The 
Provisional Government ordered at once an election for a 
Constituent Assembly, to be held on the 16th of October. 

3. The French republic was promptly recognized by 
the United States of America, Italy, and Switzerland. 
The Spanish Minister at Paris had also recognized the 
new government, and for this act was recalled to Madrid. 

The new government at once began vigorously to work 
on the defences of Paris, the Prussians marching fast to- 
wards that city, and on the 11th had advanced to within 
twenty-five miles of Paris. The town of Laon surrendered 
to the Prussians. The citadel at that place exploded, 
killing 200 French and 150 Prussians. On the 14th of 
September the scouts of the German army reached within 
five miles of Paris. The telegraph wires between Paris 
and London were cut by the Prussians, and the mails be- 
tween those cities stopped. 

In this sore distress the new government of France 
deemed it a wise measure to abandon the blockade of 
the German ports on the Baltic. 

4. On the 15th the Prussian advance reached the 
Paris fortifications, and commenced to surround the city. 
The French Cabinet left Paris on this day and arrived 
at Tours. 

5. On the 18th, Paris having been completely isolated 
by the German array, and Versailles occupied by them, 
the authorities in Paris resorted to the necessity of send- 
ing a mail by means of a balloon and carrier-pigeons 
with intelligence to the Cabinet at Tours. Reverses to 
the French arms continued rapidly now; on the 23d of 
September Toul capitulated, but this notwithstanding, 
the government still declined a Prussian proposal for 
peace, based on the surrender of Alsace and Lorraine. 
Skirmishing occurred frequently during the latter part 
of September on the outskirts of Paris, in which the 
Prussians were repulsed. 

6. On the 28th of September General Uhrich, the 

44* 



I 



522 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

commander of Strasbourg, surrendered that stronghold 
to the Germans, and on the same day Clermont was cap- 
tured, Soissons surrounded, and Verdun besieged by the 
Prussians. 

7. On the 4th of October, the French, after a severe 
contest, compelled the Prussians to abandon Pithviers, 
south of Paris, and captured a provision train including 
6000 cattle and sheep. On the 7th, troops under Gen- 
eral Bazaine made a sortie from Metz, but were driven 
back, the loss on both sides being heavy. On the 12th of 
October the Prussians stormed and captured Orleans, and 
on the 13th Epinal, in the Vosges Mountains. Another 
sortie made by the troops from Metz on the 14th was 
crowned with success ; they captured a Prussian supply- 
train of 193 wagons. Several other engagements took 
place during the month of October, and Chateaudun, 
St. Quentin, and Chartres were occupied by the Prussians, 
and Schlestadt, after a severe bombardment, capitulated 
to the Prussians. 

8. Marshal Bazaine's attempts to break through the 
lines of the German army, under command of Prince 
Frederick Charles, proving futile, compelled the Mar- 
shal, on the 27th of October, 1870, to surrender Metz 
and 150,000 men, including 20,000 wounded, also 53 
eagles, 1341 guns, 66 mitrailleuses, and 300,000 stand 
of arms. For this act the French ministry denounced 
Marshal Bazaine in severe terms. On the 31st of Oc- 
tober the German troops made their formal entry into 
the captured fortress of Metz. 

9. On the 8th of September, M. Thiers had left Paris 
on a peace mission, but effected no result until the end of 
October. On the 30th of that month he had an inter- 
view with Count Bismarck before Paris, which resulted, 
on the 2d of November, in a proposition for an armistice 
of twenty-five days, to allow the French to hold elections 
for a Constituent Assembly ; but on the 5th of Novem- 
ber the French government sent instructions to M. 
Thiers to reject the proposed armistice, because the re- 
victualling of Paris was not included in its provisions. 

A vote having been taken on the 2d of November in 
the city of Paris on the question of indorsing the 
French Provisional Government, resulted in 557,996 
ayes and 62,638 nays ; and on the 4th the government at 
Tours issued a decree calling out for military service all 
able-bodied men between the ages of twenty and forty. 



DETHRONEMENT OF NAPOLEON. 523 

On the 10th of November New Breisach capitulated 
to the Prussians, and on the 25th Thionville, after sus- 
taining a heavy bombardment, the town having been set 
on fire, surrendered to the enemy. 




Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. 

10. On November 7th, 1870, a naval engagement 
took place off Havana, between the Prussian war-steamer 
Meteor, carrying three guns, and the French steamer 
Bouvet, carrying five guns. The Bouvet, after some 
firing and an attempt to board the Meteor, returned to 
Havana, followed by the Meteor into that neutral port. 

On the 28th the French Army of the Loire, under General 



524 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

de Paladines, was defeated, after a terrible battle, by the 
Prussians, under Prince Frederick Charles. On the 29th 
of November, General Ducrot, with 100,000 men, con- 
ducted a sortie at Villers, fighting his way to Epinal 
and Champigny, and driving the Prussians towards Brie 
and Marne. The intention of this movement was to 
open a communication with the Army of the Loire under 
General Paladines. On the 2d of December a battle 
between the Germans and the French under Ducrot en- 
sued. In the afternoon the French retreated from Brie, 
leaving the Prussians masters of the field, who also cap- 
tured and held Champigny. The losses on both sides 
were very heavy. Orleans was evacuated by the Army 
of the Loire on the 3d of December, and De Paladines 
retreated to Blois ; the St. Jean Railway Station and 
suburb of Orleans were captured by the Prussians, with 
77 guns and 10,000 prisoners, also three gunboats. 

On the 6th of December the Germans formally sum- 
moned the city of Paris to surrender, under threats of 
immediate bombardment, but the French refused to com- 
ply. On the 7th, 8th, and 9th of December there was 
much fighting along the lines occupied by the French 
Army of the Loire. The principal battle was at Beau- 
gency, in which the French achieved a success. On the 
9th of December the government left Tours and re- 
moved to Bordeaux. 

11. On the 19th of December it was announced that 
all the German princes and the Hanse towns had con- 
curred in bestowing upon King William of Prussia the 
imperial crown as Frederick William I., Emperor of 
Germany. 

On the 20th of December Tours was occupied by the 
Prussians ; and on the 22d and 23d a series of battles 
was fought between the Germans, under General Man- 
teuiFel, and the French, under General Faidherbe, at 
Beaucart, Montigny, and Pont Novelle, when the French 
were worsted, and withdrew across the valley of the Som- 
me, at Ailly. 

On the 21st of December General Ducrot made a sortie 
from Paris, but, beyond the capture of several hundred 
Prussians, it had no substantial results. Subsequent 
sorties made on the 10th, 11th, 15th, and 19th of Janu- 
ary proved equally ineffective. 

In the meantime each of the French armies about Paris 



DETHRONEMENT OF NAPOLEON. 525 

had, one after another, sustained defeat. General Chan- 
zy's army at Le Mans moved against the left flank of 
Prince Charles's army at Vendome. While making this 
movement he Avas attacked by Prince Charles and driven 
back, while the Duke of Mecklenburg, commanding the 
German right wing, advanced to Nogent-le-Retron to cut 
ofFthe French line of retreat northward towards Cherbourg. 
General Chanzy had then no alternative but to fight a 
pitched battle. He fell back upon the heights east of 
Le Mans, since he would thus present a more compact 
front to the enemy's attack. But on the 10th of Janu- 
ary, 1871, the Germans, under Prince Frederick Charles 
and the Duke of Mecklenburg, instead of making an 
attack all along the lines, massed on Chanzy's wings. 
After a sharply contested battle of two days, the French 
right was routed, and the left and centre compelled to 
make a rapid retreat. The German armies followed up 
the retreating columns with an effective pursuit. On the 
19th of January the battle of St. Quentin took place, 
between the Germans, under General Goeben, and the 
French Army of the North, under General Faidherbe. 
The latter were beaten, with a heavy loss of 15,000 
killed, wounded, and prisoners ; 9000 unwounded prison- 
ers were captured. The French retreated, pursued by 
the Prussians, who captured 7 guns. 

The French, on the 20th of January, made another 
sortie from Fort Mont Valerien, Paris, with 40 battalions, 
numbering 100,000 men, under command of General 
Ducrot. They were repulsed by the Germans, with a loss 
of 6000 killed and wounded. The German loss was 
655 killed and 500 prisoners. 

While this engagement took place near Paris, on the 
same date (20th) a sea-fight occurred on the Pacific 
Ocean between the Prussian ship Medusa and the French 
gunboats Curieust, four guns, and Bruiost, two guns. 
The French vessels were sunk. 

12. On the 21st of January General Trochu resigned 
the military command at Paris, after the unsuccessful 
sortie made on that day, but he retained the civil command, 
and General Vinoy was appointed Military Governor. 
On this day (20th) a mob in Paris attacked the prison 
of Mazae, broke open the doors, and released some polit- 
ical prisonei's. Paris began to revolt; on the 22d the 
Hotel de Ville was attacked by 300 National Guards, 



526 



HISTORY OF FRANCE. 



who were repulsed by the Garde Mobile. The inteution 
was to gain possession of the headquarters of the govern- 
ment and institute a revolution for the purpose of estab- 
lishing a new government. 

13. By the defeats sustained by the French armies 




Count von Bismarck. 



about Paris, that city was nearly reduced to starvation, 
and, threatened with intestine commotion, was finally sur- 
rendered to the enemy after an investment of nearly five 
months. On the 28th of January, 1871, a treaty for the 



DETHRONEMENT OF NAPOLEON. 527 

capitulation of Paris was signed at Versailles, by Count 
Bismarck and M. Jules Favre. It was agreed that the 
forts should be surrendered to the Germans, the French 
regulars and mobiles being retained in Paris as prisoners 
of war. An armistice of three weeks was agreed upon, 
all the armies in the field to retain their respective posi- 
tions, the ground between the opposing lines to be neutral, 
except that in the Departments of Doubs, Jura, Cote 
d' Or, and in the siege of Belfort hostilities were to con- 
tinue; the National Assembly to be summoned to appear 
at Bordeaux in a fortnight. 180,000 prisoners, 1500 
cannon, and 400 field pieces were captured at Paris. The 
city of Paris was assessed 200,000,000 of francs, as a war 
contribution, to be paid by the 12th of February, 1871. 

14. The French Army of the East, 80,000 strong, under 
General Bourbaki, being pressed by the German army 
under General Manteuifel, entered Switzerland on the 1st 
of February, and laid down their arms to the Swiss. 

On the 1st of February the government at Bordeaux 
issued a decree ordering elections for the National 
Assembly to be held on the 8th of February. It dis- 
qualified for the election to the Assembly the members of 
families reigning over France since 1789 ; all persons 
who had acted as Imperial or oflftcial candidates in past 
elections, or held office as Ministers, Senators, or Coun- 
cillors of State under the Empire, and prefects who had 
accepted office between the 2d of December, 1851, and 
the 4th of September, 1870. 

On January the 29th, before noon, the forts around 
Paris were occupied by forty-six German regiments, and 
the delivery of arms to the Germans was completed on 
the 12th of February. On the 3d of February Count 
von Bismarck sent a note to M. Gambetta, protesting 
against the decree issued by the latter, in which it was 
declared that functionaries under the Empire should not 
be eligible to the Assembly, and said that the Germans 
would only recognize an Assembly of freely elected dep- 
uties, but forthwith, on the day following (4th), Gam- 
betta at Bordeaux replied to Bismarck's note, defending 
the decree, saying that it frustrated the plans of Bis- 
marck for the fallen dynasty, and the insolent pretensions 
of the Prussian Minister to interfere with the constitution 
pf a French Assembly. 

These disqualifications, decreed by Gambetta, were 



528 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ignored by the French people, especially in the North, 
and by the decrees issued by Jules Favre in Paris, and 
were annulled by all the other members of the govern- 
ment. This caused the removal of M. Gambetta, and 
the Paris government appointed M. Emanuel Arago 
Minister of the Interior. 

The elections were held February 8th, and resulted in 
a victory for the liberal monarchists and moderate repub- 
licans — the imperialists, radical republicans, and the 
clerical party being but feebly represented in the Assem- 
bly, which met at Bordeaux, February 15th, and was for- 
mally organized ; Alsace and Lorraine w^ere represented. 

15. On the 16th, M. Jules Gr^vy was elected President 
of the Assembly, only 19 out of 538 members dissenting ; 
he was a firm and consistent opponent of the empire. 
On the 17th, M. Adolphe Thiers, who had been elected 
to the Assembly from eighteen departments, was almost 
unanimously chosen President of the Provisional Govern- 
ment of the Republic. He appointed the following min- 
isters for his cabinet : Justice, Du Faure ; Foreign Affairs, 
Jules Favre ; Interior, Picard ; Public Instruction, Jules 
Simon; Commerce, Lambrecht; War, Le Flo; Marine, 
Poethuan ; Finance, Buffet. 

The late Emperor Napoleon issued a proclamation, 
dated February 8th, from the palace at Wilhelmshohe, 
addressed to the electors of France. Breaking the " pro- 
found silence" which he had maintained, and which he 
called " misfortune's mourning," he attributed all the evils 
suffered by France since the capture of Sedan to the 
establishment of a republic by an unauthorized govern- 
ment. He concluded with the suggestive statement that 
" there is only one government in Avhich resides the 
national sovereignty, able to heal the wounds, to bring 
hope to the firesides, to reopen the profaned churches, 
for progress, and to restore industry, concord, and peace." 

16. At Versailles, on the 26th of February, 1871, the 
preliminaries of a treaty of peace between the French 
and Prussians were signed, by which France ceded to 
Germany one-fifth of Lorraine and all of Alsace except 
Belfort, and agreed to pay an indemnity of five milliards 
of francs. On the 1st of March the Assembly of 
France voted for the ratification of the preliminary con- 
ditions of peace. On the same day the Assembly at 
Bordeaux, by unanimous vote, adopted a resolution de- 



DETHRONEMENT OF NAPOLEON. 529 

creeing the fall of the Empire and stigmatizing Napoleon 
as the author of the misfortunes of France. On the 2d. 
of March the ratifications of the final treaty of peace 
between the French and Germans were exchanged. 

17. The Prussian army entered Paris on the first day of 
March. The Eleventh Corps, under General von Bose, 
•entered in two columns, at Pont Neuilly and at Pont 
Du Jour, and advanced to the Arc de Triomphe. There 
were 30,000 men and 96 cannon. The French had cov- 
ered the statues with crape and shut up their houses. On 
the 3d of March the French army evacuated Paris. 

The National Assembly, early in March, by vote de- 
cided to remove to Versailles, and hold the first meeting 
there on the 20th of March. Meantime the wisdom of 
its avoidance of Paris was amply demonstrated. 



Questions for Examination.. 

1. What resolution was passed by the Chamber of Deputies 

on the 4th of September, 1870? 

2. What form of government was proclaimed on that day ? 

3. What was the attitude of the American Union towards the 

Republic of France ? 

4. To what place did the French government remove on the 

approach of the enemy towards Paris? 

5. When did the investment of Paris and the occupation of 

Versailles by the German forces take place? 

6. When did General Uhrich surrender the city of Strasbourg? 

7. What was the result of the contest on the 4th of October 

near Pithviers ? 

8. What compelled Marshal Bazaine to surrender the city of 

Metz ? 

9. What were the results eflFected by M. Thiers by his inter- 

view with Count Bismarck ? 

10. Give a description of the naval battles whiqh took place 

during the war with Prussia. 

11. How was the Imperial crown of Germany bestowed on 

the King of Prussia ? 

12. When and why did General Trochu resign the military 

command at Paris ? 

13. Give the conditions of the treaty for the surrender of Paris. 

14. What was the fate of General Bourbaki's army on Febru- 

ary 1st, 1871 ? 

15. Who was chosen President of the "Provisional Govern- 

ment of the Republic," by the Assembly, op Feb. 15, 1871 ? 

16. When and where were the preliminaries of peace between 

France and Germany signed, and what the conditions? 

17. On what date did the German army enter Paris? 

45 21 



530 



HISTORY OF FKANCE. 




CHAPTER LIV. 

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT VERSAILLES, AND THE 
COMMUNE AT PARIS. 

Nought sacred is there more, for breaking 

Are all the bands of pious Awe, 
The good man's place the bad are taking. 

And all the vices mock at law. 

FURNESS. 



1. After the evacuation of Paris by the Germans, the 
National Guards still retained their arms, and soon took 
possession of a large number of cannon, fortifying them- 
selves at Montmartre and Belleville. 

On the 10th of March, 1871, the insurgents took pos- 
session of the Hotel de Ville, Palais de Justice, Tuileries, 
and Place Vendome. The members of the Thiers gov- 
ernment and the foreign Ministers left the city and went 
to Versailles, and the Central Revolutionary Committee 
issued a proclamation, in which they said that the French 
people awaited calmly until an attempt was made to 
touch the life of the Republic, the only government that 
can close the era of invasions and civil war. Upon this 
soon the second proclamation followed, thus : " To the 
people of Paris. You have entrusted us with the defence 



THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT VERSAILLES. 531 

of the rights of Paris. We have driven out the govern- 
ment which betrayed us ; our mission is fulfilled, and 
we report to you. Prepare for communal elections. 
Give us, as your only recompense, the establishment of a 
real republic." 

2. On the 17th of March, M. Thiers, President of the 
French government, issued a proclamation against the 
insurgents. He declared that the government was really 
Republican, and no friend of the Republic should strike 
at it. On the same day six regiments and squadrons of 
horsemen, under the command of General Vinoy, ad- 
vanced against the insurgents, and took possession of their 
caunon. Proceeding further, the gens d' armes charged 
upon the people, but the latter fired into them, killed 
several, and compelled them to retreat. Shortly after- 
wards the insurgents surrounded the soldiers, who fra- 
ternized with them and refused to use their arms against 
them. There was some fighting, but in a short time the 
soldiers were fully identified with the insurgjents. Gen- 
erals Lecompte and Clement Thomas were shortly after- 
wards captured and shot, by order of a body calling 
itself the Central Revolutionary Committee. The Na- 
tional Guards placed themselves fully under the com- 
mand of this committee, and soon became masters of Paris. 

On the 3d of April, troops were sent by the Commune, 
the insurgent government of Paris, towards Versailles, 
which was occupied by the Thiers government. The 
guns of the fortress of Mont Valerien were opened upon 
the insurgents, and they were driven into Courbevoie, 
and then shelled out of that place. The fight between 
the troops of the Versailles government and the insur- 
gents was renewed on the 6th and 7th of April, and the 
Communists defeated at the Bridge of Neuiliy. 

While this reign of terror prevailed in Paris, the gov- 
ernment of France and all the Paris authorities were 
at Versailles, protected by an army 40,000 strong, under 
General Vinoy. 

3. The insurrection in Paris proved itself sufficiently 
powerful to hold the city against the Versailles govern- 
ment, and to compel the latter to institute a siege. It 
was feared that a Communist rebellion would prevail 
in all the large cities of France, but nowhere outside of 
Paris did Such a movement succeed. The principal of- 
ficers of the imperial army, just after their return home, 



632 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

seemed indisposed to take any part in the conflict ; but 
early in April General McMahon accepted the command 
of the Versailles forces, which were largely reinforced 
from the ranks of the imperialist soldiers. On March 
21st the Versailles Assembly unanimously adopted a res- 
olution " to reconstitute, in the shortest possible time, 
the municipal administration of Paris and the depart- 
ments, on the basis of councils, by election." 

4. The Versailles army was now placed under com- 
mand of Marshal McMahon, who, on the 17th of April, 
succeeded in surrounding the insurgent troops at Asniere 
with a strong military force, and gave battle, which 
proved disastrous to the insurgent troops. Fighting con- 
tinued until the 20th of April, the insurgents were 
driven at all points, and forced within two hundred yards 
of the city ramparts. Their chief General, Cluseret, 
offered his resignation, which was not accepted. The 
last days of the Paris Commune were marked by violence 
and internal dissensions, which characterized that body 
from its organization. 

5. On the 14th of May the Communists at Paris de- 
stroyed the house of M. Thiers, President of the Ver- 
sailles government, and on the following day (15th) they 
levelled the beautiilil column of Napoleon in the Place 
Venddme. On the 20th, heavy fighting between the 
Versailles and the Communist troops ensued at Mont- 
rouge, Vaugirard, Auteuil, St. Cloud, and Neuilly, ex- 
tending also from the Bois de Boulogne to the gate of 
Clichy, in which the Versaillists were generally success- 
M. 

On the evening of the 21st, the army under McMahon 
entered Paris, meeting at first but little resistance, at the 
gate of St. Cloud and the gate of Montrouge. The 
Communists fell back to such positions as were best fitted, 
in their opinion, for successful resistance. Barricades 
were erected, which extended from the Rue Rivoli to the 
centre of the Place de la Concorde. The next day (22d) 
the Versaillists carried the barricades of the Arc de 
Triomphe by assault. There was sharp fighting in the 
streets of Paris. 80,000 troops of the Versaillists were 
in Paris by noon, and the Communists fell back gradu- 
ally until their resistance was concentrated at the Palace 
of the Tuileries and the Hotel de Ville. The fighting 
continued furiously on the 23d. In the afternoon of 



THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT VERSAILLES. 533 

this day, Archbishop Darbois, 10 hostages, and 50 priests 
were killed at Mazas prison, by order of the Communists. 
On the 24th, early in the morning, the fighting was con- 
tinued in and around Paris. The Communists set fire to 
a large number of private buildings and houses, also to 
the Hotel de Ville, the palace of the Tuileries, palace 
of the Legion of Honor, palace of the Ministers of 
France, and the Council of State. The Mont de Piete 
and the library of the Louvre were totally destroyed ; 
many other public buildings also set on fire Avere saved, 
although injured ; heavy fighting and great slaughter 
Avere continued in the streets throughout this day. On 
the 25th, the government's cannon bombarded Belleville, 
and Fort Bicetre Avas occupied by the government troops. 
The end of this day saw the Versaillists victorious at all 
l^oints, although the palace of Luxembourg Avas partially 
blown up, the Palais Royal burned, and also a part of 
the Louvre destroyed. On the 27th, the Versailles troops 
captured Les Buttes Chaumont, Menil Montant, and the 
cemetery Pere-la-Chaise, the latter being the last refuge 
of the insurgents. The remainder surrendered uncondi- 
tionally. Many houses were burned, and a large number 
of insurgents — men, women, and children — were killed. 
Several theatres and the gate of St. Martin AA^ere burned. 
During these disturbances, the Versailles troops lost 2112 
officers and men killed, wounded, and missing, while the 
Communists lost over 11,000 killed, wounded, and missing, 
and 27,000 prisoners. 

6. The Commune having been vanquished, the ring- 
leaders of the insurrection, Avho caused such wanton de- 
struction of life and property, were summarily punished. 
The principal Communists were arrested by the Thiers 
government and tried by court-martial. The testimony 
taken on this trial proved that the burning of Paris on 
the eve of the triumphant entrance of McMahon's army 
Avas ordered by the Communists. Many of them Avere 
convicted and executed, among them four " Petroleuses " 
(female Communists, convicted of firing public buildings 
by means of petroleum) Avere sentenced by court-martial 
to sufl^er death. 

7. On the 8th of June, the National Assembly of 
France abolished the laAV of proscription against the Or- 
leans princes, and declared that the elections of the Duke 
d'Aumale and Prince de Joinville to the Assembly were 

45* 



584 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

valid. On the 24th of August the Assembly provided 
by law for the disarmament of the National Guards. 

Near the close of July, Jules Favre resigned his 
position in the Cabinet under M. Thiers, and was suc- 
ceeded by Count Remusat. 

8. On Sej)tember 17th, 1871, the Mount Cenis Railway, 
between France and Italy, was formally opened. This 
tunnel was commenced in the year 1857, and is one of 
the grandest achievements in railroad engineering that 
was ever accomplished. It cost $13,000,000. 

9. The ex-Emperor Napoleon having been liberated 
by Germany, left Wilhelmshohe, and sought refuge in 
England, where he arrived on the 21st of March, 1871. 

10. On the 11th of May of the same year, the defini- 
tive treaty between France and Germany was signed at 
Frankfort on the Main. 

11. The Alsace and Lorraine customs treaty was signed 
October 13th, 1871, between France and Germany, where- 
by the former country ceded back to France a small strip 
of territory, and provision was made for the payment of 
the remainder of the war indemnity (being three mil- 
liards and a half of francs) in specie, eighty millions 
every fortnight, beginning January 15th, 1872. By this 
treaty six departments then occupied by German troops 
were to be immediately evacuated. Until the liquidation 
of the indemnity was effected, thirty thousand German 
troops were to remain in France. It was further pro- 
vided that the products of Alsace-Lorraine shall be per- 
mitted to enter France, and those of France enter 
Alsace-Lorraine, free of duty for the next twelve 
months. 

12. A thorough reorganization of the French army 
was commenced by the government, with the beginning 
of the year 1872, consisting altogether of 350,000 men. 

13. In January, 1872, the Assembly not being in har- 
mony with M. Thiers, concerning some matters of taxa- 
tion on raw material. President Thiers resigned his high 
office, but the resignation was not accepted. 

_ 14. On the 12th of January, 1872, the Duke de Per- 
siguy died at Nice, Italy, He was one of the strongest 
adherents of the first and second empires. 

15. The Count de Chambord, on the 29th of January, 
issued a manifesto to the French people, in which he de- 
clared that he would never abdicate his right to the 



THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT VERSAILLES. 535 

throne of France ; that he would ever uphold the flag of 
France, and aid in restoring the ancient prestige of her 
armies, but will never consent to become a revolutionist 
in a country where he is the legitimate king. 

16. An attempt was made, on the 5th of February, 
1872, to assassinate President Thiers. He was shot at, 
but the ball missed its aim, and the assassin escaped. 

17. The new postal convention with Germany was 
signed February 13th. 

18. The International Society caused a great deal of 
disturbance in France during the spring of 1872, so that 
the Assembly passed an act, on the 4th of March, forbid- 
ding the further meetings of that society, and imposing 
various fines and terms of imprisonment for holding office 
in, belonging to, or having connection with the society, in 
some cases depriving the offender of civil and domestic 
rights. 

19. The government notified Great Britain, March 
15th, of the abrogation of the commercial treaty. 

20. In March, 1872, previous to the adjournment of 
the National Assembly, President Thiers addressed that 
body, saying that he guaranteed the maintenance of inter- 
nal order, declaring that the army was faithful, and that no 
interruption of peace was threatened from abroad, and 
that France was not entirely isolated ; she was not with- 
out alliances. President Thiers, in his address to a com- 
mittee of the Assembly, on the 3d of April, stated that 
official notice had been given Belgium of the termina- 
tion Avithin the stipulated time of the treaty of commerce. 
M. Thiers defined the attitude of France towards the 
Spanish crown, declaring that it was the interest of 
France to keep Amadeus on the throne, because his over- 
throw would lead to the revival of the candidature of 
Montpensier or the Hohenzollerns. 

21. On the 12th of May, ex-Emperor Napoleon sent 
an address to the generals and commandants of the 
French army, in which he acknowledged that he was re- 
sponsible for the defeat of Sedan, saying that the army 
fought heroically, with an enemy double its strength. 
After 14,000 had been killed or wounded, and seeing 
that the contest was merely one of desperation, and the 
army's honor having been saved. Napoleon further stated, 
that he was constrained to exercise his sovereign right 
and unfurled the flag of truce, it being impossible that 



536 HISTORY OP FEANCE. 

the immolation of 60,000 men could save France. The 
exiled Emperor closed his address assuring the country 
that he obeyed only a cruel, inexorable necessity — that 
his heart was broken but his conscience tranquil. 

22. During the summer of 1872, permission was given 
by the French government that the remains of ex-King 
Louis Philippe be brought from England and be interred 
at Dreux, in the department of Eure-et-Loir, 

23. M. De Remusat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 
Count von Arnim, the German ambassador to France, on 
June 29th signed the treaty providing for the evacuation 
of French territory by the German troops. On the 7th 
of July the ratifications of this treaty were exchanged 
by the respective powers. 

24. On the 9th of August, 600 Communist prisoners 
were transported to New Caledonia, to serve out sen- 
tences imposed upon them for their participation in the 
nefarious crimes of the Communists during the winter 
of 1871. 

25. The love for their native country was too strongly 
developed among the inhabitants of Alsace-Lorraine to 
forsake France in the dark days of adversity. 

The Prussian government had given to the inhabitants 
of her newly acquired provinces the option during a lim- 
ited period to emigrate or remain, subject to conscription 
for military service. By the time the option had expired 
but a bare remnant of the original population was left. 
Metz, which before the war had a population of 50,000, 
was reduced to 10,000. The populace set their faces 
towards France, whither their interests and sympathies 
led them. 

26. Before the close of the year 1872, great dissen- 
sions manifested themselves among the various political 
factions of the National Assembly, and the government 
was censured by the conservatives for its laxity in deal- 
ing with the radicals. President Thiers demanded a vote 
of confidence, his alternative being his own resignation. 
M. Thiers was sustained, and when it became evident 
that he would not resign, the threatening situation in 
France disappeared. The National Assembly in Decem- 
ber, 1872, passed a bill showing the magnanimity of the 
French people. By this bill the confiscated property of 
the Orleans princes was restored to them. The value of 
this estate was over forty millions of francs, and was di- 



THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT VERSAILLES. 637 

vided among the fifty-two heirs of King Louis Phil- 
ippe. 

27. The census of France for the year 1872 showed 
the population to be 38,102,921, a decrease of 366,935 
since 1866, which is attributed mainly to the late disas- 
trous war, and the many fatal visitations of epidemic. 

28. On March 6th, 1873, President Thiers recognized 
the Carlist insurgents of Spain as belligerents ; and on the 
28th of that month the Assembly adopted a bill exiling 
the Bonaparte family ; on the day following (29th), Je- 
rome Napoleon presented a petition to the Assembly, 
praying for his legal rights as a citizen, and remonstrating 
against his expulsion from France. 

29. On the 9th of January, 1873, Charles Louis Na- 
poleon Bonaparte, ex-Emperor of the French, died at 
Chiselhurst, England, in exile, aged 64 years. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What course did the National Guards pursue after the evac- 

uation of Paris by the German troops ? 

2. How did the soldiers demean themselves who were sent by 

the government to quell the insurrection? 

3. What did the Versailles Assembly adopt on March 21st? 

4. By what events were the last days of the reign of the Com- 

mune marked ? 

5. On what day, and by whom, was the Commune vanquished ? 

6. What was the fate of the principal ringleaders of the Com- 

mune ? 

7. When was the law of proscription against the Orleans 

princes abolished? 

8. When was the Mount Cenis Railway formally opened ? 

9. The ex-Emperor Napoleon having been liberated, where 

did he seek refuge ? 

10. When and where was the definitive treaty of peace_,between 

France and Germany signed ? 

11. When was the Alsace and Lorraine customs treaty signed? 

12. What took place in the French army in 1872? 

13. The Assembly and M. Thiers not being in harmony, what 

took place ? 

14. Who died at Nice, Italy, on January 12th, 1872 ? 

15. What did the Count de Chambord declare in his manifesto? 

16. What was attempted on President Thiers? 

17. What took place on February 13th? 

18. What did the Assembly do in regard to the International 

Society ? 

19. Of what did the French government notify Great Britain? 



638 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

20. What was the attitude of France towards the Spanish 

crown ? 

21. What did ex-Emperor Napoleon acknowledge in his address 

to the generals and commandants of the French army ? 

22. What permission was granted in regard to the remains of 

ex-King Louis Philippe?. 

23. When was the treaty providing for the evacuation of the 

French territory by the German troops signed ? 

24. What was done with the Communist prisoners ? 

25. What option did the Prussian government give to the inhab- 

itants of her newly acquired provinces ? 

26. How was the property of the Orleans princes restored to 

them? 

27. What did the census of 1872 show ? 

28. On March 28th and 29th what was done in regard to the 

Bonaparte family ? 

29. When and where did the ex-Emperor Napoleon die ? 



THE PRESIDENCY OF MARSHAL McMAHON. 539 




CHAPTER LV. 

FRANCE UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF MARSHAL 
McMAHON— THE SEPTENATE. 

Of joyous days ye bring the blissful vision, 
The dear, familiar phantoms rise again, 

And like an old and half-extinct tradition, 

First Peace returns, with Friendship in his train. 

1. The reorganization of the ministry of M. Adolphe 
Thiers, which took place in the middle of May, 1873, did 
not meet the views of the conservatives, who were in the 
majority in the Assembly, and a sharp division, involving 
a test of confidence in the Thiers administration, was the 
result. The Assembly, on the 24th of May, defeated a 
motion made by Minister Dufaure urging the establish- 
ment of the Republic on a permanent basis. The mem- 
bers of the cabinet now tendered their resignations to the 
President, and the latter tendered his resignation to the 
Assembly, which was accepted. 

2. Immediately afterwards the Assembly elected Marie 



540 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

Elme Patrice Maurice de McMahon, Field-Marshal and 
the Duke of Magenta, President of France. On the 
26th of May, the new President constituted his cabinet, 
in which the Bonapartists Avere in the majority. 

3. During the month of August, movements were made 
by the Legitimists of restoring monarchy in France. 
The Count de Chambord, in a manifesto issued by him, 
denounced the Republic as promotive of social anarchy. 
But this agitation soon gave way to better counsel. The 
reign of Marshal McMahon began with a solid strength, 
and chances unknown to any of the preceding govern- 
ments since the fall of the Emj)ire. 

4. On the 5th of September, 1873, the last instalment 
of the war-indemnity, inclusive of interest, was paid to 
Germany, and within three days immediately following 
this event, the last troops of the army of occupation were 
removed from French territory. Thus the grandest of 
all financial operations within the memory of man was ac- 
complished by the united patriotic efforts of the rank and 
file of the French people, and France had proved herself 
in such an incomparable state of solvency as no one ever 
deemed probable, heretofore. 

5. In November, President McMahon urged the Na- 
tional Assembly to action towards the settlement of the 
character of the government in future, and on the 19th 
of that month the Assembly agreed that the term of 
President McMahon should be seven years. 

6. At the close of the year 1873, political matters in 
France Avere still in a ferment. A conference of mon- 
archical delegates was held September 25th, at Versailles, 
and a plan for immediate operations agreed upon, as 
follows : The restoration of the monarchy, with a con- 
stitution and parliament, the division of France into 
electoral districts, the naming of a Lieutenant-general 
for the kingdom to be established, universal suffrage, the 
elligibility of all citizens to civil employment, and the 
tricolor as the national flag. But the republicans were 
equally diligent, and thus the machinations of the mon- 
archists were defeated. 

7. Marshal Bazaine, Avho Avas accused of disobeying the 
commands of the Emperor and of the Empress-Regent, 
was tried by court-martial. This court opened October 
6th. Bazaine was arraigned, besides other charges, of ren- 
dering the efforts of the nation unavailing, by his obsti- 



THE PRESIDENCY OF MAESHAL McMAHON. 541 

nate refusal at Metz to assume active operations against 
the Germans. The trial lasted until December 10th, 
when the Marshal was found guilty, and sentenced to 
degradation and death. This sentence was commuted by 
President McMahon to twenty years' seclusion, without 
formal degradation. 

8. On November 11th, 1873, Abd-el-Kader, the fa- 
mous Arab chieftain, who had caused the French so much 
trouble during the wars in Algiers, died in Paris. 

9. The many attempts which were constantly made in 
the Assembly, to decide the future form of government, 
were promptly rejected by that body. The animus of 
these proceedings was generally of a monarchical ten- 
dency. The frequent and violeijl attacks on the Septenate 
were strenuously opposed by President McMahon, who 
declared, in a circular issued by the government, that his 
powers are incontestable. 

10. On the night of August 9th to the 10th, 1874, 
Marshal Bazaine, assisted by his wife and others, escaped 
from his prison on the Isle of Sainte-Marguerite. 

11. The conservative members of the National Assem- 
bly, during the autumn of 1874, became more reconciled 
with the future of France. Convinced by the follies of 
Chambord and the selfish attitude of the Orleans family, 
the establishment of royalty seems impossible, the Assem- 
bly continuing steadfast in their efforts to establish the 
permanent Republic, the only government which seems 
now possible for France. After a debate, in which only 
few speakers took part, the Assembly agreed to proclaim 
the Republic. 

12. On the 13th of September, 1874, M. Guizot, the 
great statesman and author died, at the age of eighty- 
seven years. As a historian and man of letters, he will 
ever hold a high and honored place. 

13. During the summer of 1874, the monarchists — 
royalists as well as imperialists — made great efforts to es- 
tablish a more permanent form of government, but the 
National Assembly defeated all motions made by the ex- 
tremists of either party. But it was shown by facts and 
figures that the Republicans have an absolute majority 
of nearly three millions of votes over all the other fac- 
tions of France. On the 24th of February, 1875, the 
Assembly passed a bill providing that the government 
shall consist of a Senate and Chamber of Representa- 

46 



542 



HISTORY OF FEANCE. 



tives. The Senators are to be elected by colleges, com- 
posed of Deputies of the Assembly, Councillors-General, 
Councillors of Arrondissements, and delegates from mu- 
nicipalities. Senators representing departments and colo- 
nies are to sit nine years, one-third of their number being 
elected every three years. Those chosen by the Assembly 
are irremovable. The clause implying a recognition of 
the republic was adopted on the 25th of February, when 
the Public Powers Bill was passed. 

14. In June, 1875, the country was visited by great 
floods in the Garonne and other rivers of Southern France. 
Whole villages were swept away, and in Toulouse alone 
20,000 people were made homeless, over 3000 persons 
drowned, and sixty million dollars worth of property 
ruthlessly destroyed. President McMahon hastened to 
the scene of disaster, and the government appealed for 
succor for the suffering. 




Obverse of the Medal of the Universal Exposition, Paris, 1878. 



15. On the 11th of November, the Assembly after a 
stormy debate, relating to the method of voting with re- 
gard to the Electoral Bill, passed that measure with the 
clause providing for elections by districts instead of on a 
general ticket. At the close of the year 1875, the Na- 
tional Assembly was prorogued, after having been in 
permanent session at Versailles since November, 1871. 
The elections for the new Chambers took place in Febru- 
ary, 1876, and they assembled in March of the same year. 



THE PRESIDENCY OF MAESHAL McMAHON. 543 

16. On June 7tli, 1876, the Chamber of Deputies 
passed the University Education Bill, giving the State 
the exclusive right to confer degrees. By a vote of 144 
to 139, the Senate, on July 21st, rejected the government 
bill restoring to the State the sole right of conferring 
university degrees. 

17. On December 2d, 1876, owing to the defeat of the 
Amnesty Bill in the Senate, the Ministry resigned. 
Subsequently, M. Simon was appointed President of the 
Council and Minister of Interior, and M. Martel, Min- 
ister of Justice. MM. Dufaure and Marcere retired. 



Reverse of the Medal of the Universal Exposition, Paris, 1878. 

18. Great interest was manifested in France by all 
classes of her population regarding the Centennial Exhi- 
bition of the Industries of all nations, which was held at 
Philadelphia during the summer and autumn of 1876. 
France having been the ally of the United States of 
America in the struggle for freedon and independence, 
continued to be on the most friendly terms of national 
affinity towards the great Republic in the western hemi- 
sphere. * 



544 HISTORY OF PRANCE. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What caused the resignations of President Thiers and that 

of his cabiaet? 

2. Who was elected President of France to succeed M. Thiers ? 

3. Of what nature were the machinations of the Legitimists 

during the summer of 1873 ? 

4. When was the last instalment of the war-indemnity to Ger- 

many paid ? 

5. What was the term agreed on by the Assembly for the dura- 

tion of McMahon's Presidency? 

6. What plan of operations was agreed upon by the monarchists 

at Versailles ? 

7. On what charges was Marshal Bazaine tried and convicted 

by a court-martial ? 

8. What famous Arab chieftain died on November 11th, 1873 ? 

9. What was the animus of the attempts to decide the future 

form of government? 

10. How and when did Marshal Bazaine make his escape ? 

11. How did the establishment of royalty seem impossible ? 

12. What great statesman and author died in September, 1874? 

13. What was shown by facts and figures ? 

14. State what happened on account of the great floods in the 

Garonne and other rivers in Southern France. 

15. How long had the National Assembly been in permanent 

session ? 

16. What was the result of the legislation on the University 

Education Bill ? 

17. What led to the resignation of the Ministry on December 

2d, 1876 ? 

18. State the terms of aflBnity between France and the United 

States as manifested by all classes of her population 
regarding the Centennial Exhibition. 



THE PRESIDENCY OF JULES GREVY. 545 




CHAPTER LVI. 

THE PRESIDENCY OF JULES GREVY. 

Thus doth the ever-changing course of things 

Run a perpetual circle, ever turning, 
And that same day, that highest glory brings, 

Brings us unto the point of back returning. 

His breast with wounds unnumbered riven, 
His back to earth, his face to heaven. 

Byron. 

1. The French Chamber of Deputies, May 15th, 1877, 
voted to repeal the Press Law of 1875. During the 
afternoon of May 18th, a message from President Mc- 
Mahon was read in both Chambers, inviting them to 
suspend their sittings one month. The President ex- 
plained that, while scrupulously conforming to the policy 
of the constitutional Dufaure and Semoir Cabinets, he 
could not take a step flirther in that direction without 
making an appeal to the radical factions which desire 
modifications of French institutions. The triumph of 
these ideas could only result in disorder and in the humil- 
iation of France. He declared that he would repress 
any imprudent utterances by the press. The change in 
the French government was considered in Germany a 
triumph of the Ultramontane party, and that nation 
strengthened the defences of her western frontier. 

2. The most important political event in France dur- 
ing the month of September was the death, on the 3d 
inst., of ex-President Thiers, aged eighty years. The 

46* 2K 



54:6 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

government determined to give him a State funeral, but 
this purpose was abandoned, as Madame Thiers declined 
to place the entire management of afiairs in the hands of 
the official authorities. The funeral took place Septem- 
ber 8th, from M. Thier's late residence, in the Place St. 
George. The route of the procession to the church of 
Notre Dame de Lorrette was lined Avith an immense 
throng. M. Grevy, ex-President of the Chamber of 
Deputies, and M. Jules Simon delivered eulogies at the 
grave. There was no disturbance of order during the day. 

3. In his manifesto to the French people, September 
19 th, President McMahon claimed that he had for four 
years maintained peace and reorganized the army, and 
that the period of his administration had been one of 
commercial prosperity. " These great results," he says, 
" have been threatened with danger. The Chamber of 
Deputies, daily throwing off the leadership of moderate 
men, and more and more dominated by the avowed lead- 
ers of the radical party, at length forgot the share of 
authority which belonged to me, and which I could not 
allow to be diminished without involving the honor of 
my name before you and before history. Contesting at 
the same time my rightful influence in the Senate, the 
Chamber of Deputies arrived at nothing less than sub- 
stituting for the necessary equilibrium of public powers 
established by the Constitution the despotism of a new 
convention. Hesitation was no longer permissable. Ex- 
ercising my constitutional right, and in conformity with 
the opinion of the Senate, I dissolved the Chamber of 
Deputies. It is now for you to speak. They tell you 
I seek to overthrow the Republic, but you Avill not believe 
it. The Constitution is intrusted to my guardianship, and 
I will make it respected. What I look for from you is 
the election of a chamber which, raising itself above party 
rivalries, will occupy itself before all things with the 
country's affairs." 

4. On October 14th, the elections for members of the 
new Chamber of Deputies were held. Prince Napoleon 
was defeated. 

The Senate, on March 18th, 1878, passed the third ar- 
ticle of the State of Siege Bill, which provides that the 
President can declare a state of siege only during a dis- 
solution of the Chambers in the event of a foreign war. 
On March 29th, the Press Amnesty Bill was adopted. 



THE PRESIDENCY OF JULES GEEVY. 547 

On May 1st, the International Expositi(on was formally 
opened in Paris by President McMahon, The United 
States was fully represented, and shared liberally in the 
distribution of the decorations and awarding of medals. 

5. President McMahon, on January 30th, 1879, re- 
signed his office, rather than subscribe to the measures 
proposed by the Ministry regarding military command- 
ers. M. Jules Grevy was elected by the Congress of the 
two Chambers to succeed McMahon as President of the 
Republic, by a vote of 536 to 99. On the following day, 
M. Gambetta was elected President of the Chamber of 
Deputies. The new Cabinet Vvas constituted as follows : 
M. Waddington, President of the Council and Minister 
of Foreign Affairs; Senator Le Royer, Minister of Jus- 
tice ; M. De Marcere, Minister of the Interior, and also 
Minister of Public Worship, ad interim ; M. Jules Ferry, 
Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts ; M. Lepere, 
Minister of Agriculture ; Admiral Jauregniberny, Min- 
ister of Marine. 

6. On February 28th, the Senate passed the Govern- 
ment Amnesty Bill, after rejecting M. Victor Hugo's 
proposition for a complete amnesty. 

Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was killed by the 
Zulus, June 1st, while reconnoitring with a small party 
of British soldiers. 

On June 19th, by a vote 549 to 262, the Congress of 
the French Senate and Chamber of Deputies resolved to 
restore the seat of government to Paris. 

The French Chamber of Deputies, July 20th, by a 
vote of 363 to 166, excluded the religious element from 
the Superior Council of Education. The bill would de- 
stroy the Jesuitical schools. 

7. During this month the French Bonapartists accept- 
ed Prince Jerome as their leader. The publication of 
this act was soon followed by a manifesto from the Count 
de Chambord explaining his position. In reply to the 
charge of having voluntarily declined to embrace a former 
opportunity of ascending the throne, he says : " If, in 
the presence of attentive Europe, and on the morrow of 
indescribable disasters, I showed a greater care for my 
royal dignity and the grandeur of my mission, it was in 
order that I might remain faithful to my oath never to 
become king of a faction or a party. I will not submit 
to the guardianship of men of factions, but shall not cease 



548 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

tnappeul to all honest men for support. Armed with this 
force, and with the grace of God, I can save France. It 
is my duty and my desii-e to do so," 

8. The statue of ex-President Thiers, at Nancy, France, 
Avas unveiled with impressive ceremonies, August od. 
Speeches were made by Jules Simon, M. Martel, and M. 
Marcere. The last-mentioned orator, the Minister of the 
Interior, declared in his address, that the government was 
resolved to remain true to the noble ideas of M. Thiers, 
namely, a conservative republic, guarding the national 
traditions and just influence of France in Europe and in 
the whole world. M. Jules Simon dAvelt upon the firm- 
ness of M. Thiers in resisting even his own party when 
his liberal, conservative convictions were touched. M. 
Simon concluded by saying, " France is saved. She pos- 
sesses a republican government, and liberty to think, 
teach, and write. She has issued from a combat. It is 
necessary for her either to vanquish her enemies or to re- 
assure them. The definite form of the revolution of 1870 
is a conservative, liberal republic, such as M. Thiers 
created." 

9. The Legislature met in Paris, November 27th, for 
the first time since 1870. M, Gambetta congratulated 
the House on the restoration to Paris of the legal title of 
the capital of France. 

The decrees of the French government against the vari- 
ous unauthorized religious orders were enforced through- 
out the country during the latter part of 1879. The 
police met with considerable resistance, and were obliged 
to force doors and demolish barricades before the work 
of ejectment could be accomplished. Arrests, were made 
in several instances, and some of the obstructionists were 
sentenced to imprisonment. 

10. On November 19th, 1880, the Chambers refused to 
give priority to the Education Bill, and M. Ferry's min- 
istry resigned. Two days later, a vote of confidence was 
given (297 to 131), and the Ministers withdrew their 
resignations. 

In Paris, March 27th, 1881, Oscar Thomas Gilbert 
Motier de Lafayette, Senator of France and grandson of 
General Lafayette, died, aged sixty-five years. 

At Versailles, on April 18th, Prince Pierre Napoleon, 
third son of Lucieu Bonaparte, died, aged sixty-six 
years. 



THE PEESIDEISrCY OF JULES GREVY. 549 

11. The difficulty which had arisen between France 
and Tunis led to an invasion of the latter territory by the 
French troops, for the purpose of chastising the Kroumirs 
for thdr recent raids across the border. The French em- 
phatically disclaimed any intention of annexing Tunis, 
taut asserted their determination to compel the Bey to 
respect their interests, and to put down foreign intrigue. 

12. The French campaign against Tunis was short and 
decisive. Hostilities were commenced April 26th, 1881, 
by the bombardment and capture of a fort on the island 
of Tabarka. Five days later the French troops entered 
Tunisian territory and marched upon the town of Keff, 
which was soon occupied. On the 9th of May, the con- 
verging columns of the invading forces had so nearly 
hemmed in the Kroumirs that the latter evacuated their 
stronghold at Sidi Abdalla without a fight. This virtu- 
ally ended the campaign. On the 12th of May, the city 
of Tunis was surrounded, and the Bey, under compulsion, 
signed a treaty presented to him by General Breard, vir- 
tually giving to France the suzerainty of the country. 

13. The French Senate, May 27th, 1881, ratified a 
treaty with Tunis. 

Lord Granville, in his dispatch of July 15th, stated to 
the French government that, in view of the unquestioned 
incorporation of Tripoli in the Turkish Empire, as well 
as its proximity to Egypt, her majesty's government could 
not regard interference of whatever description on the 
the part of France in Tripoli in the same manner as they 
viewed the occurrences in Tunis. To this the French 
Foreign Minister replied that France regarded Tripoli as 
indisputably a part of the Ottoman Empire, and that 
she had no intention Avhatever either of invading it or 
attempting to establish any exclusive or predominant in- 
fluence in that country. The remonstrances which had 
been addressed to the Porte, he said, had been mild and 
friendly, and had not been made until France had very 
good reason to believe that Turkish emissaries from Tri- 
poli had been stirring up disaflTection in Tunis. The Porte 
had been warned of the danger which must ensue if a fire 
were lighted in Tripoli which should spread to Tunis, and 
it had been assured that if, contrary to her hopes and 
wishes, France were driven to military measures, she 
would take defensive measures only, and French troops 
would not cross the frontier of Tripoli. The French Min- 



550 HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

ister declared that it would be a real and great sorrow to 
him if anything should occur to weaken the close and cor- 
dial understanding between France and England in re- 
gard to Egypt. 

14. The French elections, held in the fall of 1881, re- 
sulted in large Republican gains. The new Chamber, 
without counting the Colonial Deputies, comprised 457 
Republicans, 47 Bonapartists, and 43 Monarchists. The 
Republicans comprised 39 of the Left Centre, 168 of the 
Left, 206 of the Republican Union, and 46 of the Ex- 
treme Left. 

Three battalions of troops and a battery of artillery 
occupied Susa, September 10th. The Arabs besieged the 
camp at Zaghonan for four days, but were repulsed. 
From April 6th to September 7th, France had sent 
36,000 men to Algeria. General Logerat was placed in 
full command in Tunis. The French troops, October 
10th, entered the city of Tunis, by virtue of an under- 
standing with the Bey. 

15. On January 26th, 1882, the Chamber of Deputies 
rejected the government bill for the revival of the Con- 
stitution, including the provision for scrutin de liste. M. 
Gambetta and his colleagues resigned. On the 30th, a 
new Cabinet was formed. 

The French captured the city of Ha-Noi, in southeast- 
ern Asia, May 2d, after two hours' bombardment. 

General Ernest L. O. C. de Cissy died in Paris, June 
16th, aged seventy years. 

The French Ministry resigned July 20th, because of an 
overwhelming defeat on the veto of credit for the protec- 
tion of the Suez Canal. 

16. On November 11th, the Chamber of Deputies an- 
nounced its decision to oppose any proposition tending to 
the abrogation of the concordat. Bishop Freppel argued 
that the State was bound to maintain public worship as 
an indemnification to the clergy for the confiscation of 
their property at the time of the Revolution. 

The distinguished statesman, M. Gambetta, died on 
January 1st, 1883, aged forty-four years. 

17. Affairs in France were greatly disturbed during 
the month of January, 1883. The arrest of Prince 
Napoleon for issuing his manifesto led to a crisis, and 
on January 28th the Ministry resigned. On the 29th 
a new Cabinet was foi-med, under M. Falliers, with M. 



THE PRESIDENCY OF JULES GREVY. 551 

Thibaudin as Minister of War. On February 1st, the 
Chamber of Deputies, by a vote of 343 to 163, passed M. 
Fabre's compromise bill, prohibiting the princes from fill- 
ing any civil or military post. The Senate adopted a 
measure providing for the banishment of a prince found 
guilty of further pretensions endangering the State. As 
a consequence of this action of the Senate, the Ministry 
resigned. On February 15th, the Chamber accepted a 
compromise proposal of Senator Barbey's, rendering the 
princes liable to expulsion by the decree of the President 
of the Republic, with a modification placing the princes 
under half-pay, instead of depriving them of their mili- 
tary rank. 

18. On February 17th, the Senate practically rejected 
the measure. The following day a new Ministry, under 
Jules Ferry, was announced. The indictment against 
Prince Napoleon was quashed February 9th, and he was 
released from custody. Soon afterwards he went to Lon- 
don. 

On March 6th, a proposal for the revision of the Con- 
stitution was rejected by the Chamber of Deputies, as also, 
on the 19th, a motion granting amnesty to press offenders. 
A vote of credit for the Tonquin expedition was granted 
by the Chamber on May 15th. 

19. On June loth, Admiral Pierre bombarded and 
captured Tamatave, in Madagascar, and also destroyed 
Toule Point, Mohambo, and Tenerive. 

The French troops in Tonquin, on July 19th, made a 
sortie from Namdirih, killing one thousand natives and 
capturing seven guns. 

On August 25th, the French captured Hue, the capital 
of Anam, and a treaty of peace was soon afterwards 
signed. On September 1st, the French forces defeated 
the Black Flags, between Ha-lSToi and Sontay. 

The Count de Chambord died at Frohsdorf on August 
24th, aged sixty-three years. 

20. The successes of the French troops led to a diffi- 
culty between France and China. The Chinese govern- 
ment stated that the French had imposed upon the 
government of Anam an unjust treaty, and had ignored 
the rights of China. France had invaded Anam, and 
had manifested an intention to take Bacninh, the key to 
the Chinese empire. In reply, France declared that she 
had no wish to annex Anam or Tonquui ; that the sole 



552 HISTORY OP FRANCE. 

object of the Hue treaty Avas to define the terms of the 
treaty of 1874 ; that in order to consolidate the protec- 
torate of Tonquin France considered it expedient to oc- 
cupy Bacninh and Sontay. 

21. On December 16th, the French troops captured 
Sontay and burned the citadel, with a loss of four ofiicers 
and seventy-seven men. 

General Emmanuel Felix de Wimpffen died in Paris, 
February 26th, 1884, aged seventy -three years. 

On March 12th, the French troops occupied Bacninh. 

22. A statue of M. Gambetta was unveiled at Cohers, 
April 14th, 1884. Prime Minister Ferry, in his address, 
deeply regretted Gambetta's premature death, which had 
left a void no one was able to fill. The memory of the 
deceased would never perish. Love of France was his 
ruling passion. General Campenon, Minister of War, 
rendered homage to Gambetta in the name of the army, 
which, he said, would never forget the part Gambetta 
had played. Frenchmen would ever remember his words 
teaching them to love their country to death. 

23. In the early part of May, 1884, a treaty of peace 
was ratified between France and China, by Avhich free- 
dom of trade was established between France, China, and 
Auam, thus bringing to an early termination the unpleas- 
antness existing between the two countries, without fur- 
ther bloodshed. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What message was sent to both Chambers by President Mc- 

Mahon ? 

2. What prominent statesman and author died on September 

3d, 1877? 

3. What claims were put forth by President McMahon in his 

manifesto to the people ? 

4. When and where was the International Exposition held? 

5. When did President McMahon resign the presidency ? 

6. What bill was passed by the Senate on February 28th, 1879? 

7. What occurred during the month of July ? 

8. Where and when was the statue of ex-President Thiers un- 

veiled ? 

9. AVhat decrees were enforced during the latter part of 1879? 

10. What two distinguished persons died during the year 1881? 

11. Why did France invade Tunisian territoi'y ? 



THE PEESIDENCY OF JULES GEEVY. 553 

12. What was the result of the French campaign against Tunis ? 

13. What was the substance of Lord Granville's dispatch to the 

French government relative to Tripoli ? 

14. What was the result of the fall elections ? 

15. What government bill was rejected by the Chamber of Dep- 

uties ? 

16. What distinguished statesman died on January 1st, 1883 ? 

17. What measures were adopted during the month of February 

concerning the princes ? 

18. When was the indictment against Prince Napoleon quashed ? 

19. When was the capital of Anam captured ? 

20. What was the origin of the difficulty between France and 

China ? 

21. What two important places were occupied by the French 

troops ? 

22. When and where was the statue of M. Gambetta unveiled ? 

23. When was the treaty of peace ratified between France and 

China ? 

47 



GENEALOGY 



KINGS OF FRANCE. 



MEROVINGIAN LINE. 

Clotis, manled to Clotilda, daughter of the king of Burgundy; by 

ter he had three sons and one daughter: 

Clodomir, king of Orleans ; 

Childebert, king of Paris; 

Clotaire, king of Soissons; 

Clotilda, married to the king of the Spanish Visigoths. 
He had also a natural son, 

Thierry or Theodoric, king of Metz or Austrasia. 
These separate kingdoms were again united under, 

CtoTAiRE I.; by his first wife, Ingonda, he had three sons; 

Charibert, king of Paris ; 

Gontran, king of Orleans; 

Sigebert, king of Austrasia; 
And by his second wife, Haregonda, one son, 

Ckilperic, king of Soissons. 
Gontran was the survivor of his brothers. — Sigebert, by his wife 
Fredegonde, had Childebert II., king of Austrasia. — Chilperic, by hia 
wife Bruneliaut, had Clotaire II., king of Nuestria. — After the death 
of Go^itran the entire kingdom of the Franks was shared between 
these two princes, but it was again united under Clotaire II. 

C1.0TAIRE II. left two sons: 

Dagobert, king of Nuestria, Austria, and Burgundy; 

Charibert, king of part of Aquitaine. 
But, by the death of the latter, Dagobert became sole monarch of 
France. His descendants were called Les Rois Faineans, or the 
Sluggard Kings, and were entirely under the control of the Mayors 
of the palace. 

Daoobeut l^t his kingdom between his two sons: 
Sigebert, king of Austrasia ; 
(554) 



GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF FEANCE. 555 

Clevis II., Iting of Nuestria. 
Aftei the death of Sigebert, Clovis became sole monarch of France. 

Clovis had three sons : 

Clotaire III., king of Nuestria and Burgundy; 

Childeric, king of Austrasia; 

Thierry, who succeeded Clotaire ; 
The latter was deposed, and thus the kingdom was again united 
under Childeric. 

CHiLDEnic was murdered in an insurrection, and the kingdom of 
France was again divided between Thierry, who had been deposed, 
and Dagobert II. the son of Sigebert, but the latter was soon slain in 
a civil war. 

Thiehht left two sons: 

Clovis III., king of France 
Childeberi, his successor. 

Childebert was succeeded by his son, Dagobert II, After his 

death, we find 

Chilperic II. king of Nuestria; 

Clotaire, king of Austrasia ; 
But it is not easy to trace their descent. Clotaire died after a short 
reign, and Chilperic inherited his domiriions. 

After the death of Chilperic, Charles Martel acted as king of France; 
but, finding the people averse to his usurpation, he gave the shadow 
of royalty to Thierry II., son of Dagobert II. After his death a simi- 
lar interregnum was caused by the ambition of Martel's sons, Pepin 
and Carloman. At length they raised to tho throne Childeric III., 
the brother of Thierry ; but Pepin having gained the consent of the 
Pope, soon deposed Childeric, and assumed the crown himself; thus 
terminated the Merovingian dynasty, so named from Merovee, a sup- 
posed ancestor of Clovis. It was succeeded by the Carlovingian 
dynasty, which was so called from Charles Martel, the great foundai 
of the family. 

CARLOVINGIAN DYNASTY. 

Pepin, at his death, left two sons : 

Carloman, who died early, and 

Charlemagne, the first emperor of the west. 
Charlemagne was succeeded by 

LouiB I., who divided his dominions between his children, 

Lothaire, king of Italy; 

Louis, the Germanic king of Bavaria • 

Charles the Bald, king of France. 
Lothaire died without children. 



556 GENEALOGY OF THE 

LoTTis shated his dominions between his three sons: 
Carloman, ^ 

Louis, > joint kings of Bavaria. 

Charles, J 

Charles the Bald had four sons: 
Louis succeeded his father; 
Charles, 7 • •. i • r u • 

LothaiJe, ^ joint kmgs of Bavaria; 

Carloman, died in exile. 

Louis IL had three sons : 

Louis IIL, king of Nuestria ; 

Carloman, king of Aquitaine ; 

Charles, born after his father's death. 
The two former died young, and, the latter being yet in his infancjr 
the kingdom of France was given to Charles, the only surviving son 
of Louis the German; after an inglorious reign, he was succeeded by 

Charles IV., the posthumous son of Louis II. 
Charles IV. was deposed, but, after some delay, the crown was given 
to his son. 

Lotris IV. had two sons : 

Lothaire, king of France ; 

Charles, duke of Lorraine. 
Lothaire was succeeded by his son, Louis V., the last of the Carlo 
vingian race : after his death, Hugh Capet was elected king of 
France. 

CAPETIAN DYNASTY. 

Httsh Capit married Adelaide, daughter of the duke of Aquitaine 
by her he had one son and three daughters : 

Robert, who succeeded his father ; 

Avoya, married to the count of Hainault ; 

Adelaide, married to the count of Nevers ; 

Gisella, married to the count of Ponthieu. 

Robert L was married three times; he had no children by his first 
two wives ; but, by the last, Constance of Provence, he had 

Hugh, who died before his father; 

Henry I, who succeeded to the crown; 

Eudes, bishop of Auxerre ; 

Robert, duke of Burgundy; 

Alice, married to the count of Flanders. 

Hbdtrt I. had no children by his first wife; by his second, Anne ot 
Russia, he had three sons; 
Philip, his successor ; 



KINGS OP FEANCE. 657 

Robert, who died young ; 
Hugh, count of Vermandois. 

Philip I. ; by his first wife, Bertha, had 

Louis, his successor. 

Constance, married to the prince of Antioch. 
By his second wife, Bertrade, he bad 

Philip, count of Mantes ; 

Fleury ; 

Cecilia, married first to the princa of Antioch, afterwards to 
the count of Tripoly. 

Loris VI. had no children by his first wife; from his second, Ada. 
laide of Savoy, were born 

Philip, who died young ; 

Louis, his father's successor; 

Robert, count of Dreux; 

Hugh, of whom we only know the name ; 

Henry, bishop of Beauvais; 

Peter, married to the heiress of the Courtenays ; 

Philip, archdeacon of Paris; 

Constance, married, first to the count of Boulogne, and then t» 
the count of Toulouse. 

Locis VII. ; by his first wife, Eleanor of Guienne, had 

Mary, married to the count of Champagne ; 

Alice, married to the count of Blois. 
By his second wife, Constance of Castile, 

Margaret, married, first to the English prince Henry; after- 
wards to the king of Hungary. 
By his third wife, Alice of Champagne, 

Philip, his successor; 

jignes, married to the Grecian prince, Alexis; 

Mice, betrothed to Richard I. of England, married to the Goant 
of Ponthieu, 

Philip II. ; by his first wife, Isabella of Hainault, had 

Louis, his successor. 
By his second, Mary of Dalmatia, 

Philip, count of Boulogne ; 

Maria, married to the duke of Brabant. 

Louis VIII. was married to Blanche of Castile; their childrea were 
Louis, his father's successor; 
Robert, count of Artois ; 
Charles, count of Anjou ; 
Jilphonso, count of Poitou ; 
John, died young; 
Isabella, a nun. 

47* 



558 GENEALOGY OF THE 

hoTTis IX.; by his wife, Margaret of Provence, had 
Philip, his successor ; 
John Tristan, count of Nevers; 
Peter, count of Alen§on ; 
Robert, count of Clermont, the ancestor of the Bourbon branch of 

the royal family ; 
Isabella, married to the king of Navarre ; 
Blanche, married to the infant of Castile; 
Margaret, married to the duke of Brabant; 
Agnes, rriarried to the duke of Burgundy. 

Phiiip III. ; by his first wife, Isabella of Arragon, had 

Louis, who died young; 

Philip, ■who succeeded his father ; 

Charles, count of Valois. 
By his second wife, Maria of Brabant, he had 

Louis, count of Evreux; 

Margaret, married to Edward I. of England; 

Blanche, married to the duke of Austria. 

fHiiiP IV. married Jane, queen of Navarre, by whom he had 

„, .,. ■ f successively kings of France, but died without 

Philip V. > , . , 

^r 7 TT7- i heirs male. 
Charles JK. 3 

Margaret, married to Ferdinand of Castile ; 

Isabella, mai:ried to Edward II. of England. 

HOUSE OF VALOIS. 
Phixip VI., son of Charles, count of Valois, in obedience to the Salic 
law, obtained the crown, which to him proved a crown of thorns, 
in preference to the representatives in the female line of the former 
kings. He married Jane of Burgundy, by whom he had 

John, who succeeded his father ; 

Philip, duke of Orleans ; 

Mary, duchess of Brabant. 
By a second wife he had 

/awe, a posthumous child, married to the king of Navarre. 
JoHX, by his first wife. Bona of Bohemia, had 

Charles, his successor ; 

Louis, duke of Anjou ; 

John, dnke of Berri; 

Maria, duchess of Barr ; 

Jane, married to Charles, king of Navarre; 

Isabella, married to the first duke of Milan ; 

Margaret, a nun ; 

Philip, duke of Burgundy; from whom descended Charles of 
Burgundy, and Charles V., emperor of Germany. 
Chahles V. ; by his wife, Jano of Bourbon, left two sons* 

Charles, his successor ; 

Louis, duke of Orleans. 



KINGS OF FRANCE. 569 

rHAiii.Es VI. married Isabella of Bavaria, by her he had 

Louis, > ^.gj before their father ; 

John, \ 

Charles, who succeeded to the throne; 

Isabella, married to Richard II. of England; 

Jane, married to the duke of Brittany; 

Michella, married to the duke of Burgundy; 

Catherine, married to Henry V. of England ; 

Mary, a nun. 
CHxatES VII. married Mary of Anjou, by her he had 

jLuuis, his successor ; 

Ckurles, duke of Berri ; 

Yoland, married to the duke of Savoy; 

Catherine, married to the count de Charolois; 

Magdelane, married to the count de Foix. 
Louis XI. had issue only by his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy, viz. 

Charles, his successor; 

jinne, married to the lord of Beaujou ; 

Joan, married to the duke of Or^ieans. 
The children of the next monarch, 

Chakles VIII. died in their infancy ; he was succeeded by his COO* 
sin, Louis XIL, grandson of Louis, duke of Orleans. 
Louis XII.; by his first wife, Anne of Brittany, had 

Claude, married to the count d'Angouleme; 

Renee, married to the duke of Ferrara ; 
By his second wife, Mary of England, he had no children. 
Francis I., count de Angouleme, descended from a second son of 
Louis, duke of Orleans, received the crown as next male heir ; b« 
was first married to Claude of France ; their children were 

Pkilip, who died before his father ; 

Henry, who succeeded to the throne ; 

Charles, duke of Orleans ; 

Magdelane, married to the king of Scotland ; 

Margaret, married to the duke of Savoy. 
He had no children by his second wife. 
IIbitht II. married Catherine de Medicis; by whom he had 

Francis IL 'I ^^^ reigned successively, but died without male 
Charles IX. > , . 

,y. I hens; 
Henry III. ) ' 

Elizabeth, married to the king of Spain ; 
Claude, married to the duke of Lorraine ; 

Margaret,raa.TTied to Henry Bourbon, king of Navarre, descended 
from Robert, the fourth son of Louis IX. 

HOUSE OF BOURBON. 
On the death of Henry III., the direct line was extinct, and the 
inccession devolved on a remote collateral branch, of which Henry 
Bourbon, king of Navarre, was the representative. 



660 GENEALOGY OF THE 

HsiTBT IV., after the death of his first wife, Margaret, married Mar) 

de Medicis, by whom he had 
Lffids, his successor ; 
Gaston, duke of Orleans ; 
Elizabeth, married to the king of Spain ; 
Christiana, married to the prince of Piedmont ; 
Henrietta Maria, married to Charles I. of England. 

Louis XIII. married Anne of Austria ; by whom he had 
Louis, his successor ; 
Philip, duke of Anjou, and afterwards duke of Orleans. 

Loris XIV. married Maria Theresa of Austria; by her he had 

Louis, the Dauphin^ who died before his father, leaving by hl» 
wife, Maria Anna Christina Victoria, princess of Bavaria, 
the following children: 
Louis, duke of Burgundy ; 
Philip, king of Spain ; 
Charles, duke of Berry. 
Louis, duke of Burgundy, married Adelaide of Savoy, and had on« 
son, Louis, who succeeded his great-grandfather. 

LoTJis XV. married Maria Leczinska, daughter of Stanislaus, ex-ldug 
of Poland ; by her he had 

Louis, the Dauphin, who died befoie his father ; 

Maria Louisa Elizabeth, married to the infant of Spain ; 

.Anne Henrietta; 

Maria Adelaide; 

Victoria ; 

Sophia ; 

Louisa Maria, a nun. 

Loris, the Dauphiw, had no children by his first wife ; the offspring 
of his second marriage with Maria Josepha, princess of Savoy 
were : 

Louis, duke of Burgundy, 

Xavier, duke of Aquitaine, 

Louis Augustus, succeeded his grandfather ; 

Louis Stanislaus Xavier, after long exile, king of France ; 

Charles Philip, the late king of France; 

Adelaide Clotilda, married the prince of Piedmont; 

Elizabeth Philippina, murdered during the revolution ; 

Maria Zepharina, died young. 

Louis XVI. was married to Marie Antoinette, archduchess of Ana 
tria: by her he had 

Louis Joseph, who died in infancy ; 

Louis Charles, called Louis XVIL, died in the Temple; 

Maria Theresa, married to the duke of Angoulemej 

Sophia Helena, died in infancy. 

Louis XVIII. died without issue. 



r ) 

' > died young ; 
ne, ^ 



KINGS OF FBANCE. 661 

Charles X. was married to Theresa of Savoy; she died in 1805 
•nd left two sons: 

Louis Antoine, duke of Angouleme, late Dauphin ; 
Charles Ferdinand, duke of Berry, assassinated at the Tlj-satre, 
February 20, 1820, 
By his wife, Maria Caroline of Naples, the duke of Berry had a 
posthumous son, 

Charles Ferdinand, duke of Bordeaux, regarded by the Carlists 
as rightful heir to the throne of France. 

Louis Philippe, the last king of France, descended from the Orleans 
branch of the Bourbons, and had several children. For reasons, 
enfficiently obvious, their names and titles have been omitted. 

NAPOLEONIC DYNASTY. 

Napoleon Bonaparte I. ascended the Imperial throne in 1804, Ho 
was married to Josephine Beauharnais, by whom he had no issue, 
and from whom he was divorced in 1810. His second wife was Maria 
Louisa, archduchess of Austria, who bore him a son. Napoleon was 
driven from the throne in 1815, and died in banishment. 

Napoleon Bonaparte II, dying while a youth, and there being no 
other direct heirs, the family hopes centered on Louis Napoleon, 
Bon of Louis Bonaparte, and nephew of the great Emperor, who, 
after several unsuccessful attempts, finally succeeded in securing the 
imperial sway, in the year 1852, under the title of 

Napoleon III,, and married Eugenie de Montijo, Countess de 
Teba, on the 22d January, 1853, who bore him a son in 1855, 
After his dethronement in 1870, the ex-Emperor died in exile, in 
England, on January 9th, 1873, His son, and only child, Prince 
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, was killed by the Zulus, in Southern 
Africa, on June 1st, 1879. 

PRESIDENTS OF THE REPUBLIC. 

Adolphe Thiers was chosen President of the Provisional Gov- 
ernment on February 17th, 1871, He resigned his office. May 
24th, 1873, and died, September 3d, 1877. 

Marshal McMahon was elected President, May 24th, 1873. He 
resigned his office, January 30th, 1879. 

Jules Grevy was elected President, January 30th, 1879. 
2L 



CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. 



l.V. FACIB 

486 Ciovis defeats the Romans near Soissons, and thus lays 

the foundation of the French monarchy 16 

507 Alaric, king of the Visigoths, subdued near Poictiers, by 

Ciovis 20 

511 Death of Ciovis, and division of the monarchy 21 

613 Re-union of the French dominions under a single sove- 
reign ib. 

750 Pepin dethrones the Merovingian race of kings 26 

771 Accession of Charlemagne 28 

800 Charlemagne crow^ned emperor by pope Leo III 32 

814 Death of Charlemagne — w^eakness of his successor 33 

820 The Normans first appear on the coast of France 39 

830 The emperor Louis dethroned by his unnatural sons and 

rebellious clergy 38 

841 Civil v^ar between the sons of Louis 39 

845 The Normans advance to the gates of Paris 40 

862 The divorce of Lothaire affords pope Nicholas an opportu- 
nity of asserting the supremacy of the Roman pontiffs. . 4C 
877 Death of Charles the Bald — feudal system established . . 42 

886 Siege of Paris by the Normans 44 

912 The province of Neustria ceded to the Normans 46 

987 The throne of France passes from the Carlovingian to the 

Capetian race 53 

998 Robert I. excommunicated by the pope 68 

1029 The Normans settle in Italy 70 

1040 Truce of God published by the bishops 54 

1053 The Normans vi'rest Sicily from the Saracens 70 

1066 William the Conqueror invades England 69 

1095 The first Crusade preached by Urban II , 61 

(562) 



CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. 563 

&. D. PAOll 

1124 First war between the Anglo-Normans and French . . 77 

1146 Second Crusade preached by St. Bernard 81 

1189 Third Crusade, in which Richard CcEur-de-Lion and Philip 

Augustus join 87 

1204 Normandy wrested from the English 91 

1 208 Crusade against the Albigenses i)5 

1223 Death of Philip Augustus 99 

1249 Crusade of St. Louis — he is taken prisoner in Egypt .... 105 
1266 Charles of Anjou obtains the kingdom of the two Sicilies, 
having defeated and put to death Conradin, the rightful 

heir 109 

1270 Death of St. Louis in Africa — end of the Crusades ib. 

1282 Sicilian Vespers — all the French in Sicily massacred ... 114 

1294 Pope Boniface VIIL quarrels with Philip the Fair U6 

1302 States-General assembled in France, to which the Com- 
mons are summoned for the first time 117 

1307 The Order of the Templars abolished 119 

1308 The independence of Switzerl.and established 120 

1328 Philip of Valois ascends the throne of France 127 

1336 Edward IIL lays claim to the throne of France 130 

1346 Battle of Cregy 133 

1347 Siege of Calais 138 

135b Battle of Poictiers — king John taken prisoner. 144 

1358 The Jacquerie or insurrection of the peasantry 150 

1368 The war in Castile between Peter the Cruel and Henry 

de Transtamara, proves of great service to France. . .. 155 
1377 Death of the Black Prince — the English lose all their con- 
quests in France 158 

1380 Joanna, queen of Naples, is dethroned by her cousin Du- 

razzo, and transfers her right to Charles of Anjou 163 

1415 Henry V. of England invades France 172 

1417 The council of Constance puts an end to the Schism of 
THE West, but disgraces itself by sentencing John Huss 

and Jerome of Prague to the stake 178 

1429 Joan of Arc compels the English to raise the siege of 

Orleans 182 

1453 The English are driven out of France 187 

1461 Accession of Louis XI 190 

1477 Death of Charles, duke of Burgundy 196 

1492 Brittany loses its independence 201 

1 494 Charles VHI. invades Italy 203 

1495 Battle of Fornova; the French obtain unexpected victory 205 
1499 Louis XII. invades Italy; succeeds at first, but eventually 

loses all his conquests 209 

1508 The league of Cambray formed against the Venetians . . 211 

1515 The Battle of the Spurs 212 

1517 Martin Luther commences the Reformation 217 

1525 Battle of Pavia — Francis I. taken prisoner 221 



564 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. 

k. D. FABI 

527 Rome taken and plundered by the army of the constable 

of Bourbon 226 

1529 The followers of Luther take the title of Protestants 227 

1552 Prince Maurice of Saxony forces Charles V. to concede 

tol eration 233 

1558 Calais taken from the English by the duke of Guise .... 236 
1560 Conspiracy of Amboise against the Guises — beginning of 

the religious troubles in France 237 

1572 Treacherous Massacre of the Protestants on St. Bartholo- 
mew's Day (August 24th) 246 

1576 The Alliance called The Holy League formed 253 

1587 The duke of Guise assassinated by order of Henry HL. . 258 

1589 Henry HL, the last of the house of Valois, assassinated by 

James Clement, a fanatical monk; the succession de 
volves to Henry IV., the first monarch of the house of 

Bourbon 2o 

1590 Henry IV. compelled to raise the siege of Paris 267 

1593 abjures Protestantism 268 

1598 grants Religious Toleration by the edict of Nantes 270 

1610 is assassinated by Ravaillac 274 

1621 A new Religious War breaks out in France 279 

1628 Rochelle, the strong-hold of the Protestants, surrenders to 

Richelieu 284 

1631 Gustavus Adolphus, king of Swedep., is killed at the battle 

of Lutzen ., 286 

1642 Death of cardinal Richelieu. 287 

1648 Revolt of Massaniello at Naples 292 

The Eighty Years' war terminated by the treaty of West- 
phalia 293 

1649 The wars of the Fronde commence 294 

1659 The treaty of the Pyrennees concluded between France 

and Spain 298 

1661 Death of cardinal Mazarin ib. 

1667 Peace of Breda between England and Holland 302 

1672 Louis XIV. invades HoUand-^the Dutch reduced to the 

brink of ruin 304 

1678 Peace of Nimeguen 306 

1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes — the Protestants cruelly 

persecuted • 308 

1686 The League of Augsburg, formed to check ine ambition 

of Louis XIV. The parties to the alliance were the 
Emperor of Germany, the kings of Spain and Sweden, 
the elector Palatine and of Bavaria, and the republic of 

the United Provinces ib 

1688 Thb REvotUTioBT in England 30% 

1697 The peace of Ryswick , ib 

Philip v., grandson of Louis XIV., ascend.s the throne 
of Spain, which has since remained in the possession of 
the Bourbon family 313 



CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. 565 

4. D. FASV 

1701 Commencement of the war of the Spanish succfession ... . S14 
17C2 Death of William III., king of Great Britain and stadt- 

holder of Holland ib. 

1704 Battle of Blenheim 315 

1706 The siege of Turin raised by prince Eugene 316 

1710 Fruitless negociations for peace at Gertruydenberg 217 

1712 Peace of Utreclit ". 318 

1715 Death of Louis XIV 319 

1717 France, England, and Holland unite against Spain 323 

J 733 France, Spain, and Sardinia unite to place Stanislaus 

Leczinski on the throne of Poland 324 

1738 Peace concluded between France and the empire ib 

1740 Death of the emperor Charles VI. — the pragmatic sanc- 

tion violated 323 

1741 Maria Theresa appeals to her Hungarian subjects, and is 

enabled to triumph over her enemies 326 

1743 Battle of Dettingen 327 

1748 Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle 328 

1755 Commencement of the seven years' war 330 

1757 Battle of Rosbach gained by the king of Prussia 331 

1761 Spain, in consequence of the family compact, joins with 

France against England 332 

1763 Peace concluded at Paris ib. 

1768 The French acquire Corsica 333 

1773 The order of the Jesuits suppressed ib. 

1776 The British Colonies in America revolt — are aided by 

France in 1778 339 

1783 The war terminated by the treaty of Paris 340 

17S9 Assembly of the States-General at Versailles 341 

They assume the title of the National Assembly 342 

Insurrection at Paris — capture of the Bastille 343 

1791 The king of France, attempting to escape, is arrested at 

Varennes 350 

1792 France declares war against Austria ib. 

1793 Louis XVI. tried and condemned by the national conven- 

tion 352 

First appearance of Napoleon Buonaparte in public life 

— war in La Vendee 358 

)795 Holland subdued by Pichegru 361 

1796 Napoleon commands in Italy — Battle of Lodi 362 

1797 Peace of Campo Formio between Austria and France. . 365 

1798 The French invade Egypt— Battle of the Nile ib. 

1799 Napoleon returns to France and overthrows the Directory 367 
I80C Buonaparte leads his army over the Alps - ib 

Battle of Marengo 368 

IfeOl Peace of Amiens 369 

Revolt of the Negroes in St. Domingo ib. 

1S03 Renewal of the war 370 

1804 Murder of the duke d'Enghien - 37 J 

48 



566 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. 

1804 Napoleon Buonaparte proclaimed emperor of France. . . 371 

1805 Coalition of Russia, Sweden, England, Austria, and Prus 

sia against France 374 

Battle of Austerlitz 375 

1806 Prussia engages in a ruinous war with France 377 

Battles of Jena (1807), Eylau, and Friedland lb. 

1807 The British take possession of the Danish fleet 378 

1808 Charles IV., king of Spain, and his son Ferdinand seduced 

to Bayonne by Napoleon, and forced to abdicate in fa- 
vour of Joseph Buonaparte 380 

1808 The English, under Sir Arthur Wellesley, defeat the 

French at Vimiera, and drive them from Portugal 381 

1809 Battle of Corunna — death of Sir John Moore ib. 

Austria renews the war against France — totally over- 
thrown at Wagram 384 

Battle of Talavera ib. 

Gustavus IV., king of Sweden, deposed 385 

The Pope sent as a prisoner to France ib. 

1810 Marriage of Napoleon with the arch-duchess Maria 

Luuisa ib. 

Charles John Bernadotte elected crown prince of Sweden 386 

1812 Napoleon resolves to invade Russia 387 

Battle of Borodino or Moskwa 389 

Burning of Moscow ib. 

Disastrous retreat of the French from Russia 390 

1813 Prussia declares war against France 39a 

Austria joins the Allies ib 

Battle of Vittoria ib. 

Battle of Leipsic 396 

1814 The Allies enter France 397 

Napoleon abdicates the crown and retires to Elba 398 

1815 The return from Elba — Napoleon lands at Cannes, and 

becomes, without resistance, master of all France 401 

Battle of Ligny 403 

Battle of Waterloo ■ ib. 

Restoration of the Bourbons 390 

1824 Death of Louis XVIII 411 

1 83C Dethronement of Charles X 400 

1833 Difficulties with the United States settled 422 

1840 Attempted revolution of Louis Buonaparte 423 

Napoleon's remains removed to France 424 

842 Death of the Due dOrleans 425 

War with Algiers ib. 

1848 Revolution in Paris, February 22 428 

Abdication and flight of Louis Philippe ib. 

Organization of the Provisional Government 431 

Inauguration of the Republic 435 

Rebellion of May 15 439 

Rebellion of June 22 443 



CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. 567 

FA<a 

1848 Election of Louis Napoleon President 457 

1849 Rome taken by the French army 460 

1851 The Coup D'Etat 467 

Louis Napoleon's Presidential term extended to ten years, 470 

1852 Louis Napoleon elected Emperor 475 

1853 Marriage of the Emperor to the Countess de Teba 476 

The Crimean War 476 

1854 Battle of Inkermann 479 

1855 Death of the Emperor Nicholas of Russia 480 

Capture of Sebastopol 483 

1856 Treaty of Peace concluded between the belligerents 485 

1858 Attempt to assassinate Louis Napoleon 486 

1859 The Italian War 490 

Battle of Montebello 492 

Battle of Magenta 493 

Battles of Melegnano and Solferino 494 

Treaty of Peace agreed upon between the Emperors of 

France and Austria 494 

1860 Annexation of Nice and Savoy to France 498 

1861 The Expedition to Mexico 502 

1863 The French Army entered the city of Mexico 505 

1865 The United States urges the withdrawal of the French 

troops from Mexico 505 

1866 Alliance between Prussia and Italy against Austria 506 

1867 A European Convention decides the dispute about Lux- 

emburg 506 

The Universal Exposition held in Paris — Garibaldi de- 
feated by the French and Italian forces 507 

1870 The Emperor's Plebiscitum 510 

Declaration of War against Prussia — The Empress 

made Regent 512 

The Battles of Weissenburg and Forbach 514 

The Battles of Courcelles and Gravelotte 516 

The Defeat and Capture of the Emperor and his Army 

at Sedan 518 

The Siege of Paris, and subsequent Military Opera- 
tions 521 

1871 The Surrender of Paris to the Prussians — The French 

Army of the East surrendered in Switzerland 527 

Election of M. Adolphe Thiers as President 528 

Treaty of Peace ratified between France and Ger- 
many 529 

Paris in the Hands of the Communist? 531 



568 CHBONOLOGICAL INDEX. 

A. D. PAGE 

1871 Overthrow of the Insurgents 533 

Opening of the Mount Cenis Railway between France 

and Italy — Liberation of the ex-Emperor Napoleon.. 534 

1872 Attempted Assassination of President Thiers — The ex- 

Emperor Napoleon's Address to the Generals and 

Commandants of the Army 535 

Dissensions in the National Assembly 536. 

1873 Death of the ex-Emperor, Napoleon III 537 

Election of Marshal McMahon as President — Final 

Payment of the German War-Indemnity — The Trial 

and Sentence of Marshal Bazaine 540 

Death of Abd-el-Kader 541 

. 1874 Escape of Marshal Bazaine — France formally declared 

to be a Republic — Death of M. Guizot 541 

1875 Destructive Floods in Southern France — Mode of Elec- 

tions provided for by National Assembly 542 

1876 Interest of France in the Centennial Exhibition 543 

1877 Death of ex-President Thiers 545 

1878 State of Siege Bill passed — Press Amnesty Bill adopted 546 
Opening of International Exposition 547 

1879 Resignation of President McMahon^Election of Jules 

Gr^vy to the Presidency — Government Amnesty Bill 
passed — Death of Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte 
— Seat of Government restored to Paris — Religious 
Element excluded from the Superior Council of Edu- 
cation 647 

Statue of ex-President Thiers Unveiled — Legislature 
met in Paris 548 

1881 Death of M. De Lafayette— Death of Prince Pierre 

Napoleon 548 

Hostilities between France and Tunis — Treaty with 
Tunis — Remonstrance from England 549 

1882 Chamber of Deputies rejected Government Bill for Re- 

vival of the Constitution — Capture of Ha-Noi — Death 

of Gen. De Cissy 550 

1883 Death of M. Gambetta— Arrest of Prince Napoleon.... 550 
His Release — French Successes in the East — Death of 

Count de Chambord 551 

1884 Death <5t' General WimpfiFen — The French occupy Bac- 

ninh — Statue of M. Gambetta Unveiled — Treaty of 
Peace between France and China 552 



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reflection. If it is true that some remarkable men have won their way to distinction a> 
jrators, without carefully studying the principles "*■ elocution, it is not less true that theii 
«r«y would have been smoother, and their diflSculties fewer, if they had afforded themselves 
this auxiliary ; while, with the great mass of aspirants for this sort of eminence, a course ci 
Ineitruction in elocution is a matter of absolute necessity." 



OPINIONS OF EMINENT TEACHERS. 

The "American Speaker," edited by Mr. Frost, is, I think, ore of the best volumas tot 
prsotieal exercises in elocution that instructors or students can find. The numerous '■al«« 
on the manner of reading the series — so termed by elocutionists— may be differently viewed 
by iuBtructors, according to the extent to which they follow Walker's authority. Bat th«« 
can be no diversity of opinion as to the utility of the other parts of the work, and, partlco- 
larh-, the many pieces in which the inflections of the voice are marked throughout by ap- 
pioj riata accents. — rTtniam Russed, Teacher of Elocuticn, and first Editor of the Journal if 
Bducatvyn, 



I consider "Frost's American Speaker" to he the best compilation of tha kind that hafc 
,«ret met my eye. The principles of elocution therein laid down are excellent, >.nd well eal 
tnlateC to promote eloquence in every youthful American freeman The extracts are «f ■ 
M?h. oi^er, and, to gsneral, breathe the spirit of liberty and indepsndeaoa—IWIKaw 
AJerci^^Zer. 

15 



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